In the Dark
by katilange
Summary: Something's off about Peter Parker... With an ex-marine step-mom that works for a rival tech company, rumors of a forgotten HYDRA technique, and the fact that Peter never talks about his life at home, Tony's bitten off more than he can chew. And if were anyone else, he would just drop it. (full summary inside. Rated T for some blood. Warnings at the beginning of each chapter)
1. Chapter 1: Peter Parker

**FULL SUMMARY: **

After fighting together in Germany, Tony didn't expect to see Peter Parker anymore. At least, not often. But when he decides to make the internship a real deal, something feels off. And he makes it his job to get to the bottom of it. With an ex-marine step-mom that works for a rival tech company, rumors of a forgotten HYDRA technique, and the fact that Peter never talks about his life at home, Tony's bitten off more than he can chew.

And if were anyone else, he would just drop it.

**WARNING:**

**This story deals with abuse and other dark concepts relating to violence and mental health. If you are in any way sensitive to these topics, please stay safe and don't read this story. I want you to know that I do not condone abuse: emotional, physical, sexual or otherwise. People who are in these situations truly suffer. And if you are in this situation, I can only ask that you seek help. Know that it is absolutely not your fault, and you deserve to be treated with love and respect. **

**A/N: Hello there! If you're coming from my first story, nice to see you again. If you're new: nice to meet you. :)**

**Just some notes about the story before you begin:**

**This takes place right after Germany, but I'm not including the events from Homecoming. Peter did have a building dropped on him, but fighting a different bad guy. That should be it. I hope you enjoy!**

_Friday, August 9_

_4:01pm_

When Tony first found out about a red and blue masked vigilante swinging around New York, his curiosity couldn't stop him from looking into it. After a couple weeks of digging his head where he probably shouldn't have, and sending Happy on a few drives, he finally found out who Spider-Man was.

Peter Parker, a seemingly normal 16-year-old, student at Midtown High. He lived with Angela Parker, his step-mom, in a modest apartment smack dab in the middle of Queens. After a news report about Spider-Man saving 12 people from a burning building, Tony had to meet him. He also needed a favor.

A short 15 minute drive later, Tony Stark was on the saggy leather couch in the Parker living room, politely making conversation with Angela until Peter got home. She was trying not to look astounded, but it wasn't going very well. Tony sat with a slightly amused expression; he had this affect on people sometimes.

"Mom? There's this crazy car parked out-" he stopped short, backpack thudding to the ground.

"Mr. Parker," Tony said, smirking.

"What-what is-I'm uh..." Angela gave him a pointed look and he flinched. "Hi… Mr. Tony... Stark. I'm Peter… uh Parker."

"Tony," he replied.

"I'm sorry… what is going on? What- what are you doing here?"

"It's about time we met. You've been getting my emails, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah… regarding the…"

Angela stepped in, a frown on her pretty face. "You didn't tell me about the grant."  
"The-the grant…"

"The September Foundation," said Mr. Stark. "Remember when you applied?" Peter's head bobbed up and down, brown curls bouncing. "Well, I approved. So now, we're in business."

Angela gave him a fierce look. "We'll talk about this later, Peter." She smiled again, turning to the billionaire on her couch. "Why don't you have a discussion with him. Give all the details. He can relay them to me later, but I have to head to work." She stood and headed to the door.

When she reached Peter, she put a firm hand on his shoulder and leaned in. "You be good to Mr. Stark, ok?" The kid didn't look her in the eyes; he only nodded. "Good. I'll be back at 8." She left, heels clicking and purse swinging, with a slam of the door.

Peter's shoulders sagged for a moment before he realized he wasn't alone. He perked back up and looked at the man with bright eyes.

"Listen. I- uh. Definitely didn't apply for your grant-"

"Uh uh! Me first. Quick question of the torachal variety: that's you, right?" His phone lit up with a hologram of Spider-Man swinging toward the camera.

"Um, no. What do you- what do you mea-"

"Yeah. Look at you go." The picture shifted to him stopping a car. "Wow. Nice catch. 3,000 pounds, 40 miles an hour. That's not easy… you got mad skills."

"That's all-that's all on YouTube though, right? I mean, that's where you found that… be-because you know that's all fake. It's all done on a computer?" The way his words came out, it sounded like a question. "It's like that video-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… Oh, you mean like those UFO's over Phoenix?" Tony tapped the ceiling panel that led to the attic and a flash of red and blue fell down. "What have we here?" Peter snatched it out of the way and threw it into a laundry bin.

"Uh… that's uh…" he crossed his arms.

"So… you're the Spider...ling. Crime fighting spider. You're Spider-Boy?"

"S-s… Spider-Man.:

"Not in that onesie, you're not."

"It's not a- It's not a onesie…" he said, the first note of frustration that Tony had heard so far creeping into his voice. Before he had mentioned Spider-Man, the boy was mostly quiet and shaky… maybe even timid. Tony could hardly comprehend that Peter was also this quirky, strong, intelligent superhero swinging around Queens every night.

"I can't believe this, you know, I was actually having a really good day today, Mr. Stark. Didn't miss my train, this perfectly good DVD player was just... sitting there, an-and algebra test. Nailed it." He dropped onto the couch.

"Who else knows? Anybody?" Peter paused, a slight sliver of what Tony could only describe as fear flashing through his big brown eyes "Nobody."

"You know what I think is really cool? This webbing." Tony threw a glass of white gooey liquid he had collected at Peter's head, but his quick reflexes caught it before it whacked his face.

"Tensile strength is off the charts. Who manufactured that?"

"I did," Peter said casually, like that was normal. Tony had to work hard to keep the surprise off of his face. Where the heck does a High School student go to create web fluid?

"Climbing the walls? How you doing that? Adhesive gloves?"

"That's a-a long story. I was already-"

"Can you even see in these?" The man interrupted, raising the suit's goggles to his face.

"Yes! Yes I can. I can-I can see in those." Peter grabbed it back from Tony. "It's just that when whatever happened happened it's like my senses... have been dialed to 11. There's- there's way too much input so they-they just kinda help me focus."

"You're in dire need of an upgrade."

_Thursday, September 12_

_6:04pm_

_1 month later_

Tony had to admit, he had figured that he would hear more from Peter after Germany. But all the kid had done was called Happy twice, leaving two messages. Then there was radio silence. Tony was getting a little worried… he liked the kid. A little energetic sometimes, but a good person.

He made a decision, maybe 30 minutes ago, that he was going to ask Peter to come for an actual internship. Tony knew that he had to convince Angela first… which could present a few problems. It already took hours of phone calls to convince her of the Germany trip.

He knocked on the apartment door, putting on one of his winning "Tony Stark" smiles. If this was going to work, he had to lay it on thick. It was actually Peter that opened the door. He was so startled that he slammed the door back in Tony's face.

He heard muffled yelling from inside and when the door swung open again, it was Angela who faced him. Her mouth was set in a firm line that matched her eyebrows, and her dark brown eyes were ablaze. Behind her shoulder the kid stood with his head down, ears a dark red.

She forced her face into a calmer expression, asking with faux politeness, "Mr. Stark. What brings you here?"

"Angela," he said. "I can come in for a bit, right?"

Her cheek twitched, but she agreed, opening the door wider for him to enter.

"Anything to drink?"

"No thanks, Mrs. Parker, I was just at In-N-Out. Now, I'd like to talk to you and the kid about something, _if_ you don't mind." The tension in the air was thick. Peter was leaning against the wall, head still down, shifting from foot to foot. He scratched his neck.

"Of course," she smiled, but it looked more like a grimace. "Please, have a seat."

Once they were seated, Tony glanced at the kid, who was still against the wall. "Why don't you come and sit with us, Pete." His head flopped up, with an expression of _What, Me? _

"I-I mean I really… shouldn't-"  
"Peter," Angela said and turned to look at him. "_Come sit down._"

This time he rushed over, plopping down next to her on the couch. Tony stared between the two of them for a moment, then refocused and began his speech.

"Peter's internship. I want to start making it a more regular deal. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays. After school until 6:30. I need some help, and Pete here is exactly what we need up at the tower."

The shock on their faces was almost comical. "Now wait just a minute-"  
"Before you protest. The internship pays. 12 an hour."

Angela was quiet for a moment. "Mr. Stark. Can I speak with Peter for a moment. Alone." She stood and grabbed her child's arm, dragging him to another room.

He heard hushed whispering. This went on for a few minutes, and he started to get bored.

"Mrs. Parker? I really have to get going!" She strode back in, black hair swishing behind her. Peter trailed behind her, looking kind of like a kicked puppy.

"Mr. Stark," she started. "Peter would love to help out any way he can, but I really think-"  
"Perfect!" Tony stood and clapped his hands together. "15 an hour, starting tomorrow." He figured raising the wage would keep her happy… at least for now. He didn't want to stay to find out.

_Friday, September 13_

_2:38pm_

When Peter saw the sleek black Audi pull up to the school, his stomach dropped. Cringing, he walked over to it, but everyone was staring. He didn't like it when people stared. Why couldn't have Happy just brought a Subaru or something?

He opened the door and hopped in, as quickly as possible, tossing his backpack to an empty seat. Peter realized too late that the seat wasn't actually empty. Thankfully, Mr. Stark caught his backpack, but that didn't stop his face from going aflame.

"Heck of a throw, kid."

"I'm s-so sorry, sir." He hung his head.

"Whoa there. First of all… Sir? I'm not old enough for you to call me that. Second of all, it's fine, I caught it, didn't I?"

"I just d-don't mean any, uh, d-disrespect, sir. Or, um, Mr. Stark." Peter's head shook back and forth.

_Disrespect?_ Tony thought. _What? _He made eye contact with Happy in the rear view mirror. "It's really ok, kid. I mean it."

"Thank you si- Mr. Stark."

The rest of the car ride, Tony explained how everything would work at the Tower. Peter was mostly quiet. He really didn't want Mr. Stark to pay him, but Angela said that they needed the money right now. Granted, she had also said that Tony was a dirty, lying-

"Does that make sense?"

"Uh… y-yeah, I guess."

"You don't actually have to remember all that, I'll help you figure things out." Peter liked Tony. He really did. And every second with his childhood idol was amazing… but the things that she had said. Was Angela right? He wasn't sure.

It took them five more minutes to get to the Tower, most of those minutes Peter spent gazing out the window while Tony fiddled with his phone. If he wasn't Tony Stark, it might have been awkward.

Peter was like a kid in a candy shop, bouncing around the lab and studying everything. He couldn't keep the large smile off of his face.

"This is amazing!" Tony stood at the door, amused.

A small robot arm buzzed from the corner. Peter saw that it was moving up and down, like a wave. He waved back.

"That's Dum-E. He breaks practically everything he touches," Mr. Stark rolled his eyes.

The machine clicked and beeped happily before rolling away.

"So, Pete. Do you like it?"

"Like it? Are you kidding me! This place is-" he stopped himself. "Uh, sorry. It's really nice, Mr. Stark."

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You just got really excited about something. And then stopped yourself from being excited."

"Oh! Uh," he ran a hand through his fluffy brown hair. "I don't know. Angela says it's not- It's not really polite to yell. Especially indoors…" he trailed off.

"Hmmm. Well when you're here, kiddo, feel free to shout whatever you want. Whenever you want. Especially indoors."

Peter grinned. "In that case: This place is awesome!" Tony returned the smile. "I'm serious, Mr. Stark, I mean where do you even find computers that size! I bet the processor socket is huge…" he leaned down, examining every inch of the hologram computer.

"What can I say? A billionaire gotta do what a billionaire gotta do." There was a pause. "So kid…"

"Yeah?" Peter's soft brown eyes were as big as disks. He kind of looked like a deer in headlights.

"Come sit with me," Tony said, strutting to a little couch area in the corner of the room.

"Yes sir."

"Don't call me that," he called playfully over his shoulder. "Tony is fine."

"Sorry, Mr. Stark. I won't do it again," Peter said solemnly. Tony shook his head. This kid bounced from a complete spaz to serious like a freakin' pinball machine.

"So," Tony said when they were seated. "Tell me more about... you." He had to tread carefully.

Peter considered for a moment. He wasn't sure if he could completely trust Mr. Stark yet. If what Angela said was true, then he should be afraid right now. But he just couldn't muster up that emotion.

"I uh… I'm in the Academic Decathlon at school with my friends Ned and M.J… my favorite food is Larb, I um… I like the color red…" he trailed off. "Is that what you wanted to know?"

No, that was not what he wanted to know, but Tony didn't say that out loud.

"How about home?"

Peter instantly closed off, crossing his arms and slouching a little. The look in his eyes was guarded. Tony could kick himself. He shouldn't have asked that yet.

"You met my… m-mom. Angela."

"Yeah, I did. She seems nice." The kid only nodded. There was an awkward silence. Tony was the first to speak.

"Let's get to work, kid. First, we need to complete some designs…"

They went on after that, discussing math and engineering, drawing blueprints. Peter didn't talk about himself again.

"Happy, you were there. Doesn't something seem… off about him?" Tony paced in front of his friends. They all looked up at him, concerned expressions on their faces.

"Yeah… he did seem a little… quick to assume," Happy replied, scratching his chin.

"What does that mean?" Pepper asked.

"I don't know… Most kids would laugh or something if they realized they hit Tony Stark in the gut with a backpack. But he acted like Tony was gonna yell at him."

"That's generally not a good sign," Rhodey said.

"And his mom! She looked like she was one breath away from shooting me in the chest!"

"Also not a good sign."

Pepper sighed. "Well what are we supposed to do? What do you think is going on?"

"I don't know Pep," Tony said. "It's just weird… and, when I looked at his school records, Angela pulls him from school for like three days each month."

"So?"

"So, they don't go anywhere. Spider-Man also isn't seen for those three days. What would they be doing in that apartment for three days straight?"

Pepper stood and grabbed his hand. "Tony… you don't think that-"

"I don't know. If something was going on… he'd never tell me about it."

"We have to be careful here, Tones. You've never dealt with anything like this before."  
"I know…" he rubbed his temples. "I think… I think I'm going to have a chat with his friends."

M.J. was largely unimpressed with Tony Stark when they first met. Ned was the complete opposite; he nearly fainted at the sight of Iron Man in the car right in front of them. Mostly she was just confused. Why would someone like Mr. Stark come to them? And why now?

She knew Peter had an internship with him, but he didn't ever talk about it. He didn't really ever talk about anything that had to do with his personal life… but that was just Peter. She got used to it.

"You're M.J." The billionaire stated as he leaned out of the tinted car window.

"Since birth." She replied, narrowing her eyes at him.

"And you're Ned," he said, pointing beside her. Ned made a noise that was similar to a mouse squeaking. He nodded vigorously.

"Yes. Yes. Yes I am Mr. Iron Man, sir. Can I just say it is a pleasure-"

M.J. elbowed him in the side, which shut him up quickly. "Why do you care?"

"I need to talk to you… alone. It's about… it's about Peter. Get in."

A guy in a suit came out of the car and led them to the other side, opening the door. M.J. couldn't help the eye roll.

"I can open it myself." The man said nothing.

She stepped in without enthusiasm, again opposing Ned's actions. Once they were situated and the door slammed shut, she turned to Mr. Stark.

"Alright, we're alone. What do you want?" She tried to play it cool, but M.J. was really worried. What if Peter was hurt or… worse.

"How much do you know about… Peter's home." That is not what she was expecting to hear.

"I only know what he tells us… which is pretty much nothing. Ned?" They all looked at him. He shrugged.

"I know that when his mom passed away a while ago, his dad was really screwed up. He remarried a year later, and then died in a break-in about 6 months after the wedding. Peter was 9 when he died. They had to move, and now… it's just him and his step-mom Angela."

"What do you know about her?"

"She works as a receptionist at some big tech company downtown. I don't think he ever told me what it was called."

M.J. knew most of this too, but she didn't want to be the one to say it. It didn't feel like her place to tell. She stayed quiet, eyes trained on Tony.

"Is there anything else about her? Have you ever met her?"

"She came to one of our meets once," M.J. said. "But she left after like five minutes."

"Why do you want to know about Angela?" Ned leaned onto his knees to see Tony better. M.J. had an idea why Mr. Stark would have these questions, but she doubted Ned had noticed. He was clueless.

Tony sighed. "Never mind, forget about it. You guys can leave."

"Ned," she said. "I'll catch up in just a sec. You go find Peter; he'll wonder where we are." He nodded happily and left.

"Mr. Stark. There's something about him… that you should know."

Tony tilted his head to listen.

"A couple years ago, he would always come to school with black eyes and bruises and stuff. Once his arm was even broken. He said he was just really clumsy, but I didn't believe him. The last year or so it hasn't really happened. But he also started wearing long sleeves…"

She twirled her curly hair around a slender finger. "I'm worried about him. Peter's my best friend, and I hate to think about him getting hurt. But if you ever tell him that I swear I'll-"

"Easy there, I won't. You can tell him yourself. But thanks… for the input."

She glared at him. "You better tell me if anything is going on."

He raised a hand and saluted her. "Yes ma'am."

M.J. snatched her backpack from the floor and left, shooting him another scowl over her shoulder. Tony liked her.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed! The chapters will not usually be this long, but I'll try to write as much as I can. Leave any comments/suggestions in the reviews!**

**See you next time!**

**-katilange =)**


	2. Chapter 2: May Miriam

**A/N: Welcome back! I hope you all enjoy the chapter and sorry it isn't as long as the first one. It's hard with school and stuff to get a consistent schedule, but I'll try. :)**

_Tuesday, September 17_

_8:01am_

"Boss?" FRIDAY's voice floated into the lab, waking Tony. He was lying face-down on some papers, and empty mug of coffee in his hands.

"Yeah," he groaned. "Yeah?"

"Peter was not at school yesterday and has yet to show up today. You asked me to report when this happened?"

"Yes. I did… thanks. I'll get on it." He dragged himself up and went to the bathroom to wash his face. He had to at least try to look presentable.

Deciding to go to the apartment alone, Tony hopped into his favorite Ferrari and sped over. When he got there, he put on a hat and sunglasses. Not like the car was inconspicuous or anything, but he had to try and hide from the media or Pep would yell at him.

The metal steps creaked as he walked up to the 3rd floor. The complex wasn't horrible, but it was no penthouse. Rat droppings and random stains littered the carpet. Tony made a mental note to call someone about that.

He knocked on Apt. 301 and waited, again plastering on his Tony Stark Smile. No one answered. He raised his fist up to the door again, but before he knocked a voice called from behind, "It's not worth it, trust me."

Tony spun around to face a brown paper bag. Actually it was a person, but they were carrying so many groceries that the bags completely covered their face.

"Whoa, let me help you there," he said, lifting a few bags from their arms. When he did this, it revealed a woman's face.

She was young and pretty, with long black hair tied into a bun and small circular glasses perched on her petite nose. She did the usual when she made eye contact with him: Gaped for a moment. Recollecting herself, she scrambled for keys.

"Thanks! You're Tony Stark…"

"That I am," he nodded and grinned.

"Well… I'm May Miriam. Not to be rude but… exactly what are you doing _here_ of all places?" She slid her key into Apt. 303, right across from Peter's, and hip-checked the door open.

"I'm here to see Peter Parker… he works at my internship."

She flicked on the light and gestured for him to come in. "Oh right! He told me about that!" Setting the bag down with a thud, she bustled around the kitchen and tidied up a few cups.

"You know the kid?" Tony walked in slower, taking in the small space. It was really clean, a stark contrast to the hallway, with white couches and neutral-toned pillows.

"Oh yeah! Peter's lived there for… I don't know… 6 or 7 years? He comes over and has tea sometimes."

He set down his collection of bags on the counter. "Before… you said it's not worth it… what did you mean?"

May sighed and rubbed her head. "You should sit down. Anything to drink?" Tony shook his head and wandered over to the couch area. She joined him, a water glass of her own in hand.

"I'm sure you know Angela," she said, pursing her lips. "Every month she shuts the door, locks it. No one comes in or out of that apartment… but that's not even the weirdest part."

"What is?"

"I don't hear a sound. Not anything. I mean, other times of the month, I hear her… yelling or something. I've hear doors slam and you know… house things. But not these days. Nothing." May shook her head, sighing again.

"Can't we call the cops or something? That has to be illegal."  
"Not technically… I mean, it's all circumstantial, Mr. Stark. I don't know if they could do anything. And Angela's his legal guardian… she has the right to excuse him from school."

He let out a frustrated grunt. "There's really nothing I can do?"

She looked down at her water sadly. "All we can do is wait."

_Monday, September 16_

_5:03am_

_Yesterday_

"How many people?" Her voice was sharp and clear, like a bell. "_How many people?"_

"I-I don't know, ma'am," Peter cowered, ashamed at how scared he was. It shouldn't be like this. He was Spider-Man! And she was his… mom. What would his dad say if he hurt her?

"Three, Peter. And how many did we agree on?" He lowered his head. "I said _how many did we agree on?_"

"None, Angela." As soon as the words slipped from his mouth, he regretted them. She hated it when he called her Angela. It was either mom or ma'am. Her arm came flying out of nowhere, landing on his cheek with a heavy thud. She may have looked small, but Angela had served for 4 years overseas. She could pack a punch.

Admittedly, that one would not have normally hurt Peter very much. But he happened to have gotten in a fight with some criminals last night, and they left him a little bruised. Plus, he hadn't eaten last night.

Angela seemed to compose herself. She sucked in a breath and fixed Peter with another glare. "That's right. We agreed on none. And yet… you allowed three. Again. We've talked about this. I thought we had talked about this!" Realizing she was yelling, she glanced around at the walls, wary of neighbors.

Angela's cool voice dropped. "I have to punish you, Peter. It's because I love you… It's so you _learn_…." she sighed. "You know the drill," she hissed. "I'll be back in three days. And if you even _think_ about breaking any of the rules..." She didn't have to finish. He knew.

Grabbing her usual supplies, his step-mom marched out, shooting him another disappointed frown. This time, the apartment door shut softly. The neighbors were asleep after all.

Peter wished he had eaten last night.

_Thursday, September 19_

_3:06pm_

"So kid... where you been the past couple days? I stopped by on Tuesday, but no one answered." This was Tony's way of trying to find out something, but not make it obvious. He didn't want to freak Peter out again.

"Oh… just a family trip with Ang- my mom," he said, cringing a little. Tony nodded and decided not to push the subject.

"Sounds fun," he said carefully. "Let's get to work, kiddo."

Peter jumped up from the chair, excited by the change of subject. His mind swirled as he did this and dizziness overcame him. Peter pressed a hand to his head and leaned on the table. His stomach cramped, his muscles suddenly aching and trembling.

"So I was thinking that we could start with the molecular-" Tony stopped when he heard the thud. It sounded like-

"Peter!" The kid was in a pile on the floor, groaning. Tony ran over to him and crouched down. "Hey, bud… you doin' ok? What's the matter?"

Peter tried to shake the darkness from his vision. He struggled to sit up, but he was just so tired. Everything felt slow and pointless. He just wanted to sleep.

Vaguely, he remembered someone calling for a doctor… but he didn't have the motivation to remember who.

"FRIDAY! Get the med team in here! _Now!"_ Tony lifted Peter by his neck trying to get a response. "Peter? Hey, bud, hang in there." Now that he thought about it, the kid was really pale. And _skinny_…

"Jeez… do you even eat?" He whispered to himself as the door banged open. A doctor scurried in, leaning over Peter with a concerned face. Tony recognized her as Dr. Marzian. The woman felt the kid's head and chest, and then placed her hand to his neck, checking his pulse.

"What happened?" She asked, looking at Tony in the eye.

"I-I don't know… he just collapsed… his arms were shaking… I don't know."

She nodded and picked Peter up, carrying him to a gurney by the door. Tony had a thought about how strong she was, but he had more pressing matters.

"I'm pretty sure that he has been underfed, but I'll have to run some tests. Either way, I need to get him up to the Med Bay immediately and get him on an IV. Does he have someone you can call? A parent or guardian?"

"Uh… yeah. I can call someone," Tony said.

_Thursday, September 19_

_3:37pm_

"Oh my gosh, Mr. Stark! What happened?" May dashed over to him, a dark brown purse clutched in her hands. She was still wearing her scrubs from the hospital. "And why did you call _me?"_

He grabbed her arm and began to lead her to the elevator. "The doctor said he's fine… just not eating enough. I couldn't call Angela, could I?" She put a hand to her mouth and gasped.

"Not eating…" the rest of the way to Peter's room was quiet. May sat in a shocked silence and Tony was lost in thought.

Underfed? Peter was the strongest 16-year-old in all of Queens. He couldn't just not eat. That would have twice the effect on him than an average teen. Also, he was Spider-Man! Couldn't he just swing to a McDonald's or something? Tony didn't understand.

When they got to Peter's room, May stopped outside the door. "Should I even be here? I mean, I'm just his neighbor…"

"Come on, May. He cares about you, he talks about you all the time! He needs you right now." She nodded.

"Okay… okay." She grabbed her purse tighter and walked in.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! And thanks to all of you who followed and favorited. ;)**

**REVIEWS:**

**Belbelanne: Thanks! Me too.**

**Elizabeth357: Surprise! She is in the story! Haha, I always planned to add her in, so here you go!**

**xSapphirexRosesxFanx: Sadly, I can't tell you yet. :) You'll just have to wait and find out.**

**See you all next time!**

**-katilange **


	3. Chapter 3: Inspiration

**A/N: I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving (or other celebrated holidays)! I have a break from school, so this chapter is longer and I had more time to perfect it. :) I hope you enjoy!**

_Thursday, September 19_

_3:37pm_

May was surprised. Peter didn't look very sick, just uncomfortable. Doctors flitted about him, feeling his head, checking his temperature and blood pressure. He was awake, sitting completely still in the hospital bed surrounded by wires. If anything, he looked awkward.

When he heard the door open, he began, "Really Mr. Stark, this isn't necessary, I was just tired and- May? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, honey. Tony called me. Why wouldn't I be here? You're my favorite neighbor." She walked to the end of the bed and smiled kindly at him.

Peter tried to hide his shock with a grin. "Oh… I mean, I guess I thought Mrs. Cavanaugh was your favorite."

She laughed and put a hand on his foot.

Tony went and sat down on the chair at Peter's bedside. He crossed his arms and leaned back. "So… you have a reasonable explanation for this, kid?"

"I guess I didn't realize how hungry I was," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I forgot."

"Peter," Tony rubbed his temples. "Your body requires almost _twice _the amount of food than an average teenager needs. How did you... forget?"

Vaguely, May wondered what this meant. She figured Tony said that because Peter was a growing boy, and he was beginning to gain some lean muscles on his arms and legs.

Peter squirmed. He looked out the window, avoiding eye contact. "I don't know, it just happened… sorry, Mr. Stark, I didn't mean to-"

"No! Er, no. There's nothing to apologize for, Underoos. What matters most is that you're ok. Now, lets get some food in you."

Tony was harboring a silent anger. There's no way this superhuman child forgot to eat! No way. There had to be an alternative explanation, a different reason… something Peter was hiding. Or maybe- maybe there wasn't. Maybe he was thinking too much about this… and maybe he should just drop it and get on with his life. I mean, when did he start caring so much? It's not like he was Peter's father.

He stood and was about to exit when the doctor pulled him aside. "Mr. Stark." She looked at him earnestly.

"What?"

"This is a more dangerous situation than we thought, sir," she said in an aggressive whisper. "If this happens again, it could cause permanent damage! As you mentioned, his body needs energy, and without it… he could die. You need to keep an eye on him, Stark. Ok?"

Tony just nodded, feeling his heart pound faster and faster. Dead? Peter could… die? He couldn't image the kid-

_Alright, _he thought. _I guess this is when I started caring so much._

_Thursday, September 26_

_5:01pm_

"What did you have for lunch today, Pete?" Peter couldn't help but rolling his eyes playfully.

"I'm fine, Mr. Stark. Really, I am."

Tony stared at him and narrowed his dark brown eyes. He supplied this look when he was trying to tell if someone was lying. Fortunately, Peter wasn't.

It had been a good week for him. Angela was gone for a business trip and wouldn't be back until Sunday, he got to spend more time with Mr. Stark, and he didn't have to worry when he was patrolling. Also, Happy was driving Peter (and sometimes Ned or MJ) around with Mr. Stark every evening to get dinner. It was awesome, but he couldn't help but feel cautious toward this spell of good luck… he had never had it before. In fact, Peter made the conclusion that everything good that happened to him would most likely disappear, so he might as well enjoy it while it lasted, but expect the worst. Never let anyone get close.

"Good, cause I don't want anymore passing out from lack of food on my watch," Tony said, returning to his work. Peter rolled his eyes again, smiling.

They were silent for awhile, but it wasn't awkward like it was with Angela. It was comfortable and nice. They both just sat and tinkered, thinking about everything. Peter was pondering how he was going to live without this strange routine they had fallen into. Once Angela came home, she would never let him go out to eat with Mr. Stark and his friends. She never went out to eat as it was. He grew sad at the prospect of losing his newfound closeness with his mentor.

Tony was thinking along the same tracks. How was he supposed to convince Angela to continue this? Going out with Peter began to become the bright spot of his day. After long, boring board meetings and calls from the Secretary complaining about how Captain America was still gone… he knew he could count on Peter to always be happy and slightly spastic. In truth, Tony loved their little outings. He didn't want it to end.

"Hey, Pete… you pick the next song," Tony said, tossing Peter his phone. If the kid was anyone else, he would not have caught it. The look of shock and wonder on his face was priceless.

He spoke softly."I get to pick?"

Tony nodded and grinned. "Yeah. Go for it. But nothing bad."

Peter was quiet, tapping on the phone excitedly. He finished and looked up, waiting for the song to play.

Piano chords banged into the room along with an 80's-sounding drum pattern.

"_You know our love was meant to be..." _Peter mouthed the words along, pumping his fist to the beat. "The kind of love that lasts forever!"

"What is this?" Tony asked. This was way different than the music he usually listened to. He wasn't sure that he liked it, but Peter seemed to, so that was enough for him.

"Come on, Mr. Stark! Tell me you know Chicago!"

His silence was answer enough. "Come on! _You're the Inspiration_ is like one of the best songs ever written!" The chorus came around and Peter spun around in his rolling chair. "You're the meaning in my life, you're the inspiration! You bring feeling to my life, you're the inspiration!" He held out the last syllable of inspiration, spreading his arms out wide.

Tony laughed and began to sway a little. "I mean, it's no _Night Moves_, but it is good."

Peter didn't seem to listen, he was lost in the song.

It's amazing how a song can carry a person away, into a world of their own. Each human being has a song they use to escape, to let go, to hide anger or sadness. _You're the Inspiration_ happened to be his. If only Peter could've played Chicago Sunday night.

_Sunday, September 29_

_6:01pm_

"Welcome home, mom." Peter opened the apartment door wide, stepping aside as she stormed past him. "Did you have a good trip?" Angela threw her suitcase on the couch.

She whirled on him, seeming to snap. "What gives you the right to ask about my trip? If I want to tell you, I _will._" There was a tense silence. "What's for dinner?"

Peter's stomach sunk. She hadn't bought groceries, so there was no food. "I didn't… make anything, ma'am. There was no-" He fell quiet when Angela's hand rose.

"After _all I do for you_? I feed you, I clothe you… you live under my roof, free of charge. All I ask is for a meal to be made, Peter. That's _all I ask!"_

She grabbed a glass that was resting on the counter and threw it on the ground below his feet. It shattered and time seemed to slow down. The glass cracked into a thousand tiny lines on the delicate surface. It seemed like lightning… and then the shards came crashing toward him. Once large piece slid into him and pain sparked up his foot into his leg. A thought occurred to him: neurons were like little bolts of electricity. In a way, this moment, that glass… was like lightning.

Time sped up again and reality collided into his brain. Suddenly the pain was magnified, and he had to cry out. Blood pooled under his feet and Angela's rage doubled.

"Look at the mess you made! I want this spotless, you hear me? _Spotless! _And when you're done, we'll handle the matter of your punishment." She marched into her room and slammed the door.

Peter stepped carefully around the glass, heading for a broom. When he was done sweeping the shards into the trash, he grabbed a towel for the blood that was splashed on the ground. Shame crawled into his throat. He really had made a mess of things. Why did he have to ask her how it went? He knew better than that…

That night, after his… punishment, he curled into a ball in his bed. Tears dripped silently onto his pillow. He grabbed a blanket his mother, his _real_ mother, had given him and held it to his aching chest.

If you were standing on the sidewalk, you might have heard it. A soft humming to the tune of a Chicago's second most popular song.

"You're the inspiration…"

_August 10, 2011_

_9:03pm_

_8 years ago_

_Mary smiled and patted the bed beside her. "Come here, my little Inspiration."_

_Peter giggled and crawled up next to her, snuggling into her side. She stroked his hair and pulled the covers up. _

"_Did you have a good birthday, Peter?"_

_He nodded and grabbed his favorite blanket. "Yes, mommy." He grinned a toothy smile at her._

_She laughed and ruffled his fluffy curls. "Well I sure hope so, I got you a cake _and _a present."_

"_Sing me the song! Sing it!" Peter pulled his blanket close and awaited her in anticipation. _

"_I don't know…"_

"_Please! Please, please, please, please!" He drew out the last please and widened his big, brown eyes._

"_Alright, alright. But settle down." She reached out and clicked the lamp off. The only light was a yellow Iron Man night-light glowing in the corner. It cast a soft shadow on the wall that stretched up to the ceiling._

_Mary took a breath and started to sing. "You know our love was meant to be, the kind of love to last forever." Her voice was beautiful and throaty, carrying the words in the air. "And I want you here with me, from tonight until the end of time. You should know, everywhere I go, always on my mind, in my heart, in my soul."_

_Peter's head began to droop down onto his pillow. "Baby, you're the meaning in my life, you're the inspiration. You bring feeling to my life, you're the inspiration. Want to have you near me, I want to have you hear me saying, 'No one needs you more than I need you'." With the final note, she stood as gently as she could and kissed him on his forehead._

"_I love you, baby. My little Inspiration."_

_Monday, September 30_

_11:36am_

_Present Day_

"Hey nerd, ready for lunch?" MJ swung into step beside Peter, thumping him lightly on the shoulder. She tried not to notice the slight flinch.

"Yeah! Where's Ned?" They headed in the direction of the cafeteria, shoulders touching.

She looked at him. "Didn't he tell you? Sick."

"Oh yeah… I got grounded from my phone this weekend…" He shrugged and walked a little faster.

"What? Why?"

"I broke a glass in the kitchen. Angela was pretty upset…" There was a silence as MJ pondered.

"Ok. I guess it's just us then." She hated that her heart fluttered a little at the idea. This never happened! Boys were idiots… but Peter was different. He was kind and funny and-

"Sounds awesome!" His brown eyes sparkled. "There's no one I'd rather dine with," he said gallantly, bowing before her in a dramatic gesture.

She shoved him gently. "Quit it loser." But she couldn't help but smile at his dorkiness. That was Peter for you. He stood up normally and offered an arm.

"M'lady?" He looked so silly that MJ snorted.

"Oh come on, Peter. I can find the cafeteria on my own." She pushed his hand down and marched forward, head high.

"I know, I know! Wait for me!"

She was worried that more was going on that he let on. He was flinching at everything today and was so… jumpy. This weekend had to have more of a story, but MJ wouldn't push it. Peter didn't like to talk about his step-mom. Which was fine by her.

She didn't even care anyway.

Or maybe she did.

She hadn't decided yet.

Peter didn't know what was going on with him. He was never nervous to eat alone with MJ before… but his palms were sweating and his heart was beating faster. Maybe it had to do with what happened last night… he didn't know. But he was almost sure it would pass.

Him and MJ were just friends. Best friends, in fact. And that's the way it would always be. Peter needed to appreciate what he had. His 'Parker Luck' could ruin everything. He didn't want their friendship to change.

Or maybe he did.

He hadn't decided yet.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it ;)**

**REVIEWS:**

**DarylDixon'sLover: I know. Part of me feels bad and the other part of me is a writer. :)**

**Belbelanne: Muhahahaha we shall see, my friend.**

**Beachgirl25: Yeah, I was super excited to write her in!**

**anyctophilian: So glad you like it! Thanks for reading!**

**xSapphirexRosesxFanx: Haha… yes. I can't too much away, but you're on the right track. :D**

**torigwilliams: I'm so glad I could inspire you! Let me know if you end up writing one! I'd love to read it. Thanks for reading and reviewing.**

**See you guys next time!**

**-katilange **


	4. Chapter 4: MJ and Masks

**A/N: I hope you enjoy today's chapter! I've been on a break from school, so I had some time to write.**

**Warnings: Mild descriptions of violence and blood. **

_Peter was awoken by the sound of hushed voices. He crawled out of the covers and crept to the door. It was cracked open slightly, casting a sliver of light onto his face._

"_-it was his birthday!" This was his mom's voice. Peter smiled. It was his birthday._

"_I'm sorry, Mary. I promise it was a mistake!" Dad! His dad was home. Peter wanted to open the door and run to him, but something kept him where he was._

"_I can't keep forgiving you, Richard. Our _son _should be the number one priority. If it weren't for him, I would've left a long time ago."_

"_Mary please-" _

_Suddenly time changed. He was 9 and a half now, crouched in the same doorway, listening._

"_Richard please-"_

"_No, Angela! If I had any idea what was going on, I would've left a long time ago! We're done. This is the last straw. I'm taking Peter and I'm-" _

_A door slammed. Footsteps pounded around the room. There was a loud bang and a thud. Peter covered his ears. He didn't like loud noises. There was more muffled yelling, and he pressed his hands harder over his head. His step-mom ran into the room, hair wild and face frantic. There was something clutched tightly in her hand, but he didn't have to find out what. She scooped him up and ran into the closet. _

"_What's going-" she shushed him before he could finish. Angela dialed a number on her phone. 911._

"_There's been a-a break-in… my husband was shot! You have to help me!" They asked for her address and she gave it to them. Peter started to shake. Shot? Dad was shot? Is he dead? He looked up to his step-mom. Her face was a mask of fear._

_A mask? She texted someone else that night. A mask. Who would she have to text? A mask. A mask. A mask._

Peter shot up, sweat spilling down his chin and soaking his nightshirt, words slipping from his mouth. "She had a mask."

_Tuesday, October 1_

_4:00pm_

Three more days. Peter couldn't believe that it had almost been eight years. Eight years… since his mom's body was discovered. Eight and two months since she went missing. Eight years since his whole world stopped spinning.

He wondered if he would tell her, if she was still alive. About Spider-Man. And if he did, would she freak out? Would she laugh and say, 'Stop teasing me, Peter.'? Whatever she would have done, it would be different than-

"Mr. Stark?" He called. The man looked up from his tinkering.

"Yeah?"

"I have… something to tell you… about Angela."

Tony dropped what he was doing and perked up. The kid was finally opening up to him, which he could only hope meant that Peter trusted him.

Probably a little too eagerly, he said, "Yeah?"

Peter took a deep breath and blurted out, "She knows. About me. About… Spider-Man." Quickly, he continued. "I didn't tell her! She figured it out and boy… she was angry… but that's not the point. The point is she knows, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but I was scared…"

"Scared of what?"  
"I thought you would be angry at me for telling someone… I'm sorry." He looked down.

Tony just sat there, thinking. He scratched his beard.

Peter waited until the silence became too much to bear. "W-well?"

"Well, what?"

"Are you… are you mad?" He wrung his hands together and peeked a glance at Tony.

"Peter, I revealed my secret identity to the entire world with McDonald's in my hand, and you're asking if I'm mad your step-mom found out?" To Peter's surprise, Tony started to laugh. "It's your choice who knows, kid. Not mine."

"Well, A-Angela always says that-" he stopped when he saw Tony looking at him curiously. "Never mind. Forget it. Thank you… for not being mad."

"You don't have to thank people for not being mean to you, kid."

Peter looked a little shocked, but recovered, turning back to his project with a grin. No one had ever told him he had a choice about who found out. Maybe this would change things… maybe he could even tell-

No.

It was too dangerous for her to know. He had to keep her safe.

_Tuesday, October 1_

_6:01pm_

"You're late," she called from the kitchen, swirling a glass of wine in her hand. Angela looked up at him with a disappointed glare.

_By one minute,_ he thought. He knew better than to say something like that, though. "Sorry, it won't happen again."

"I swear you're spending too much time with that _Tony Stark_. Today, you're just late… But what is it next? Soon you'll be running your mouth on live television and ruining everything! He's not a good man, Peter. He'll fill your head with lies."

For once, Peter felt a flicker of anger instead of fear. "He's not a liar. And you're wrong... h-he is a good man. He's a hero."

"He saves himself, Peter. _Him. Self. _Everything he does is for the good of Tony Stark," she growled, setting her glass down.

"You're wrong," he spat. "You're. _Wrong._"

"_You don't want to start this with me, Peter," _she said, her voice dropping.

"But… but I do! All you do is... is assume things about him. You've never even talked to him for more than fifteen minutes! He's a better person than you'll ever be."

Peter felt the fear again. He felt it when she went absolutely quiet. Perfectly still. His anger slipped away when he saw her eye twitch. She only did that when she was really angry.

"You'll regret this Peter. I will not take that tone in this apartment. _In my apartment._ After all I've done for you? You're going to force me to punish you? You've given me no choice. You have to learn your lesson."

_Tuesday, October 1_

_8:01pm_

Pepper waved goodbye to the receptionist and wished her a good evening. She glanced down at her phone, sending a text. Suddenly, the doors banged open and Peter stumbled in, blood staining his jeans and t-shirt. She jumped into action and ran to him as fast as she could.

"Peter! Honey, what happened? Are you ok?"

His knees gave out and he fell onto her, clutching her shoulders for support. "T-tony. Where-" Peter coughed wetly and shook his head. Pepper grabbed him tightly and led him to a chair in the lobby. She nodded to the receptionist.

"Call him." The small woman nodded and grabbed her phone.

Pepper turned back to the kid. She took his face in her hands and turned his head to her. His eyes were dazed and unfocused.

"Peter… Peter, look at me. What happened?"

He waved his hand in the air distractedly. "Patrol... Spider-Man…"

She noted that he didn't have his suit on. At all. But, she didn't say anything. They had to wait until Tony got here.

"Where does it hurt?"

Peter pointed at his head, then his chest, then his left arm. Pepper searched his head for anything serious. Her fingers found a wet, sticky area, and when she pulled away her hand, there was blood. She cursed.

The receptionist, Dani as Pepper remembered, ran over with a first aid kit. "He's on his way."

Pepper pulled a piece of gauze from the packet and pressed it to Peter's wound. He groaned, trying to push her hand away. She had a feeling that if he was at his full strength, it would have been easy. But he wasn't, and he didn't succeed.

"Who did this to you?"

"MJ," he mumbled, again attempting to swat her away.

"MJ did this?" Pepper was shocked. She thought MJ was Peter's best friend. Why would she do this?

"No... No. I was gonna… ask MJ… something," he said, almost inaudibly. "Where's-where's my phone? I-I need to ask… MJ…" his head lolled.

"Hey! Hey, come on. Stay awake. What were you going to tell MJ? Tell me about her."

A corner of his mouth quirked up lazily.

"She… amazing. I was going to… I'm tired, Ms. Potts… I'm j-just going to rest my eyes… for a second…"

"Hey now, Tony's almost here. Just wait for him." She didn't know how bad this head injury was and she couldn't risk him passing out yet. Pepper was worried he might not wake up again. She cradled his head in her arms, trying to keep pressure on the wound.

"Mr. Stark is here?" Peter sat up again, looking around. "W-where?"

As if on cue, Tony came bursting out of the elevator, followed by a small woman in a white coat. Dr. Marzian.

They sprinted over to him. Dr. Marzian began checking him up and down, taking the gauze from Pepper's hand and holding pressure.

"What is going on, Pep?" Tony said, panic in his eyes.

"You tell me! He said it was on patrol, but he's not even wearing a suit," she said. Pepper looked at the doctor. "Peter told me that his head, chest, and left arm hurt. I felt around his head and found that." She indicated the now bloody patch of gauze.

"We need to get him upstairs. Tony, you carry him; Pepper and I will keep pressure on his head and arm," Dr. Marzian said.

Tony switched places with Pepper, and then scooped up Peter into his arms carefully. By the time they got Peter upstairs and into a bed, all three of them were sweaty and cramped.

"Call MJ," Tony grunted. "I told her I'd keep her updated, and I think he needs her right now."

Pepper nodded. Tony was right; Peter had been talking about her like five minutes ago. She took Tony's phone from his suit pocket and dialed MJ, stepping outside while the doctor worked.

It rang twice. "Yeah?"

"Michelle Jones?" Pepper detected a sigh of frustration.

"It's MJ. Who is this? You're not Tony Stark… but you do sound familiar." There was a clanging of dishes in the background. She was probably at home.

"My name is Pepper Potts, I work at-"

"I know. What do you need?" Pepper heard a yell. "Be quiet, dweebs, I'm on the phone!"

"It's Peter. He's hurt, and I was told you should be here." There was a shift in tone as soon as she said this.

"What? What's wrong? Is he going to be ok?"

"He should be fine, don't worry. I'll send someone to pick you up. His name is Happy and he'll be in a-" Again she was interrupted.

"I know. Peter gets picked up every other day to go to that internship thing." She sounded a little dazed. "I guess I'll see you… soon."

_Tuesday, October 1_

_8:45pm_

"Did he get this while he was Spider-Man?" MJ asked from her seat, stealing a quick glance at Peter. He was unconscious, but stable, breathing deeply.

"You know about that?" Tony honestly didn't think Peter would tell anyone else. He had seen what happens to people close to heroes. Tony didn't think he would've wanted her in danger.

MJ gave a humorless snort and shook her head. "No. I figured it out. Peter's not very good at keeping secrets. I mean, I only had to put two and two together."

Tony was once again impressed with her. He knew she was captain of the decathlon team, but she was way smarter than he thought. He kicked himself for underestimating her.

"He told us that was how he got hurt… but he wasn't wearing the suit when he got here."

She tugged at her curly brown hair and furrowed her brow. "Do you think it was…"

MJ's statement hung in the air, unfinished. The truth was, they were all afraid to finish it. The reality of the situation would be too much… too painful. She didn't want to think that she could have done more, that she could have prevented something like this to happen…

Tony swore, bringing them out of the quiet. "I swear, if that woman did this, I'll get the entire team to beat her-"

"Tony," Pepper said firmly, grabbing his shoulder. "Calm down and think for a minute." He sat back down in a huff, crossing his arms.

They all quieted when Peter groaned and shifted in his bed. He brought a hand up to his forehead, which was now bandaged. Fluffy tufts of brown stuck out and flopped over the white gauze. MJ turned to him anxiously, then tried to reform her features into an expression of calm indifference.

"MJ," he mumbled. "What are… what is… where am I?"

"One question at a time, kid." Tony said from where he sat, a small smirk on his face. "You're at the tower."

He grunted and touched his head gingerly. "You didn't have to come MJ… it's not a big deal."

"Not a-," she stammered. This was the first time she looked taken aback. "Not a big deal? Are you kidding me? You're sitting in a hospital bed, you big dork. Why wouldn't I come?" She managed to hide her frustration with a smile and a soft shove of his uninjured shoulder. "Now what happened, Peter? Really?"

He became uncomfortable, turning away from them. "I was…"

"I know it wasn't patrolling. And yes, I know about that," she rolled her eyes. Peter looked at her admiringly, although a little surprised.

"Wow. I guess I'm not that great at hiding anything from you. But it really was on patrol. I didn't have time to put on the entire suit, just the mask. I guess that's why the guy banged me up so bad."

They all sensed some uneasiness in his tone, and they all suspected him to be lying. Or at least not telling the whole truth. No one really wanted to say anything… they really just wanted to believe him.

No one wants to accept a truth more painful than the lie itself.

**A/N: Thanks for reading, my loves. Have a wonderful day. :)**

**REVIEWS:**

**xSapphirexRosesxFanx: I know!**

**DarylDixon'sLover: Thanks! Glad you like it. :)**

**Belbelanne: Hehehe. I want to develop Peter and MJ's relationship in future chapters, so keep an eye out. **

**Beachgirl25: Me too! I've been dying to write a song into one of my stories, and this song is awesome. For me, I always just think of Peter and Tony's "song" being Back in Black, but I can totally see Queen, too. It's conflicting.**

**UntamableWyldeRaptor: Ugh I know! I feel bad… but also… I must keep writing angst haha. :)**

**MazikeenWolf: Isn't she nasty? I need to write her so the audience would hate her, and I'm glad I succeeded. But also, she sucks. **

**Hawkeyes Gal: Thank you! I appreciate it. Thanks for the sweet review. **

**See you guys next time!**

**-katilange**


	5. Chapter 5: A Memory

**A/N: Hi guys! I hope you enjoy the chapter! Make sure to leave a review, I love reading them! :)**

**Warnings: Mild description of injury, gun shots, and a panic attack**

_Tuesday, October 1_

_9:16pm_

Peter looked out the window, head spinning. Concussion, a couple broken ribs, and a dislocated shoulder. He didn't realize that it was this bad… On top of that, he never even guessed that anyone could have found out he was Spider-Man. And it wasn't safe for her to know… what if she got hurt? Peter was disappointed in himself. He thought he did a pretty good job of hiding that part of himself… but apparently not. If he couldn't keep _that_ secret… what else would he tell? Maybe Angela was right. He should just keep his mouth shut.

MJ's head was resting on the hospital bed. She breathed in and out deeply. Her brown curls spilled onto the sheets, contrasting with the stark white. Peter looked at her for a minute, and then back out the window.

"Did your step-mom do this do you?" Peter turned. Tony stood in the doorway, arms folded. His expression was one that Peter had never seen before. He couldn't quite place the emotion. Anger? Sadness? Concern? He looked away from his mentor, eyes again falling on the window.

"You know, this Friday is the anniversary of the day that…" Peter inhaled a breath. "That they found my mom's body. Eight years." He couldn't see what Mr. Stark was doing, but he heard an intake of breath that mirrored his own. "They never let me see her… I was too young, I guess. The cops said she was, um. That she was murdered." Silent tears were beginning to fall, but his voice remained steady. "Just like my dad."

Peter looked away from the dark streets then, his brown eyes piercing Tony's. He managed to look earnest through the tears.

"My dad blamed himself… for her death. He shouldn't have. He shouldn't have blamed himself. It wasn't his fault."

Tony had the weird feeling that the kid was trying to tell him something, but was unable to speak… Peter's intense eyes held his gaze.

MJ stirred, breaking the tension. With a grunt, she shot up and checked her phone. "Crap. Is that really what time it is?" The bright screen read 9:20 p.m. Peter nodded. "I need to go. Is that Happy guy going to give me a ride home?"

"He actually left for the day." Tony finally found his voice again. "But I can take you."

As they left, Tony snuck a quick glance back at the kid. The last thing he saw before the door closed, was Peter staring out that dark window again, fiddling with the cuff of his sleeves. The look on his face was one that the kid hadn't ever had before.

It was anger.

_Wednesday, October 2_

_7:36am_

"Peter! You look like you got hit by a bus! What happened, man?" Ned fell into step next to him, and they did their ritual handshake, Peter using his right hand. He did kind of look like a wreck… he had swapped the gauze for a band-aid, but the area around his forehead was splotchy and red. The doctors tried to make him wear a sling, but he refused, assuring them that he wouldn't use his left arm.

He did keep the bandages that wrapped around his torso, mostly because no one could see those. Peter felt a little lucky he had advanced healing… when he got up this morning at the Tower, almost all of the cuts and bruises on his face and arms had healed. But he was sure that getting no sleep wouldn't help his appearance.

"I fell down some stairs at the Tower," Peter said, shrugging a little.

"Again? Dude, you gotta stop doing that!"

Peter was grateful for Ned. He didn't ask questions or pry. He just put his complete and total trust in Peter. He felt a little guilty for lying, but at this point… it was better than the truth.

They stopped at the corner, waiting for their third companion. MJ was always on time (if not, she was early), and as if to prove that point, she walked out of the coffee shop they were waiting by.

"Late again, nerds," she commented, sipping from a plastic cup.

"Dang it, I really thought we got you this time!" Ned fake pouted for a second, then his bright smile returned.

"Well, you thought wrong." She smirked and marched forward, leading the trio to the school. Peter smiled at her back and Ned scrambled to catch up.

"Did you hear? Pete lost a battle with some stairs," Ned chuckled. MJ looked over and directly into Peter's eyes.

"I did hear. What did those stairs ever do to you?" Her voice was cool and level, as was her face. It made him slightly uneasy.

"I think you guys are getting it wrong," he said, breaking her concentration. "I'm the victim here! You should be asking what I ever did to the stairs!"

_Wednesday, October 2_

_6:32pm_

"Hey, Mr. Stark, I should get going." Peter stood, gathering his things and sliding them into his backpack.

"Go where?" The man called, still bent over his new Mark's glowing repulser.

"Home…?" He answered slowly, confused as to where Tony was going with this. Well, he wasn't actually going home… not until she said he could. Peter was just going to do what he always did when she was like this. He would find a roof or something to sleep on, eat at McDonald's or somewhere cheap, and change into his spare clothes at school. It didn't even bother him anymore; it had become routine. And, yeah, it was getting colder, but he should be fine.

"You're going back to your apartment?" Tony asked carefully, now looking him directly at him. Peter found it harder and harder to lie when he was around Mr. Stark. It was like Tony could see right through him.

"Sort of- yes. I mean, yes." _Smooth, Pete. Real smooth. _

Mr. Stark stood up and folded his arms. "I've made an executive decision regarding your internship." He quirked an eyebrow up. "As your boss, I now reserve the right to have you spend the night at Stark Tower if the need arises."

"Oh no, I couldn't-" Peter protested.

"The need has arisen!" He interrupted. "I can show you your room. And-" he held up a finger as Peter started to speak again. "No arguing! The decision is made!" The kid fell silent. He didn't know how to feel about this whole thing. If Angela ever found out, she'd be furious… but he really didn't want to spend another restless night on top of a building somewhere.

Mr. Stark was marching off, beckoning Peter to follow him. They traveled up to the penthouse where him and Pepper had rooms. Tony led him to a black door neatly marked 'Peter P.'.

"I set this up just in case you ever needed a place to stay. I hope you like it." He smiled and pushed it open.

The room was mostly modern themed, with a black and white bedspread and white walls, and a large window that spanned the entirety of the far wall. There was a sleek L-shaped desk that took up one corner of the room. A holo-computer rested on it, along with a few ballpoint pens. There were shelves full of small Star Wars figurines and a Millennium Falcon was strung above them. The room was so big that there was even a small sitting area and a bookshelf.

"Wow." This was all he could say as he took it in. "This… this is amazing! You didn't have to do all this, Tony," he began.

"No. I wanted to."

Peter scampered over to the computer. "Is this a- oh my gosh, it is. You have no idea how excited I am to do projects on this. And the little action figures! How did you know I loved Star Wars?"

"Um, kid. You're wearing a Star Wars t-shirt."

Peter looked down at his shirt and blushed, but then continued to wander around. "It's huge! And the chairs!" He plopped down in one of the plush leather seats. "Can I invite Ned and MJ over sometime?"

"Of course, it is _your_ room. They can come over now, if you want; we're done working. But make sure you eat something first. Pep is stuck in a meeting for another hour or so, so it's just us for dinner. What do you want?"

"I don't really care; whatever works," Peter said, still gazing around him.

"Chinese it is! I'll call Happy."

While they were seated in the kitchen, waiting, Tony decided to try and get the kid to open up a little more. He really wanted to help Peter, but he couldn't do anything without proof.

"How's the shoulder, bud?"

Peter moved it up and down to demonstrate. "It doesn't even hurt that bad anymore! And my headache is almost gone. My ribs are a little sore still, though."

"You're going to be more careful on patrols now, right?" He said carefully.

The kid bobbed his head up and down, but didn't meet Tony's eyes. There was a silence and Tony didn't want to be the one that broke it, but it got to be so long that he couldn't help but ask, "Are you okay, Pete?"

The kid hesitated and rubbed his neck. "I had a dream… the other night. A-about my mom. Angela, I mean. I've never remembered much from the night my dad was killed, but it was like a memory came back to me. I was in my room," he said, looking distant and far away. "I heard… noises. A g-gun shot, I think. There was yelling, but I had my ears covered and I couldn't tell who it was… Then Angela came running in. She called 911, but then she texted someone else. And there was-" Peter shook his head and rubbed his temples. "Something in her hand… I can't- I can't remember…" his voice became strained.

"Pete, it's ok. You don't have to remember. It was trauma, some things were probably blocked from your mind. I mean, you were _nine_-"

"No!" Tony was taken aback by his tone. "I mean, no. It was something important… I know it was important." He knew that his emotions were written all over his face, which was annoying. That's why he liked to have a mask-

A mask.

"A mask! It was a mask!" He slammed a fist onto the counter. "But why… why would she have that? What was she doing with it? Do you think she-"

"Peter," Tony said firmly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. Let's just-"

"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down! She did something! I know she did!" He was becoming frantic now. At some point, Peter had stood, but neither of them could remember when. He was pacing and waving his arms everywhere.

"I mean, I know she's capable because of-" he stopped dead. There was no noise in the room except for their breathing. Several emotions crossed Peter's face and he sat back down. "What am I talking about… she's my m-mom. She loves me." He looked defeated. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stark… I-I didn't mean to-" He was surprised when Tony cut him off with a hug. After the shock had passed, he grabbed onto Mr. Stark's suit tightly.

Tony patted his head. "We'll figure this out, kid. I promise. But for now, let's eat." They fell back into their usual rhythm, laughing and talking about random stuff. Peter shoved his thoughts into the back of his mind, trying to enjoy the ham fried rice. He was mostly successful until he went to bed that night.

The room was dark except for the glow of moonlight that spilled onto the carpet. It was quiet too; from all the way up here he couldn't hear the normal sounds of New York. It was weird, and he hadn't decided if he liked it or not. After a while, Peter managed to drift off into an uneasy sleep.

"_Richard please-"_

"_No, Angela! If I had any idea what was going on, I would've left a long time ago! We're done. This is the last straw. I'm taking Peter and I'm-" _

_A door slammed. Footsteps pounded around the room. Again a loud bang sounded. Again he clamped his hands over his ears. It was different this time… he didn't want to cover his ears. He wanted to listen… but he couldn't change anything. He could only observe from inside his mind. He strained to hear what was happening… strained to decipher the voices, but his hands blocked any intelligible noise from entering. He decided to watch._

_Angela ran into the room and grabbed him, taking him into the closet. She had folded black cloth in her hand. _That was it! The mask, _he thought. She was also holding her phone. After she called 911, he strained to see what she texted. The words were blurry and out of focus, and it hurt his eyes to look at. Peter tried to read the text, but the words didn't make sense._

_His body was breathing faster and faster. His dad was shot. Dead, probably. Cold panic coursed through his veins and his heart pounded. Dead. Daddy was dead? That isn't possible… he had never even gotten hurt. He was the one who put band-aids on Peter's scraped knees and kissed his paper cuts better. _

_He was vaguely aware that the memory was continuing, but he was transported into his childhood mind, experiencing every sensation. Peter looked up at Angela and asked, "Does Daddy need a band-aid?" _

_She looked at him with shock and maybe a little disgust. She didn't seem very panicked as she responded, "No. Be quiet, Peter."_

"_But Dad-"_

"_Quiet." He stopped talking. Tears formed in is eyes and began to spill down his cheeks. Peter didn't dare make a noise for fear of making her angry, so he covered his mouth as well. _

_Peter. The tears were making the front of his shirt wet and sticky._

Peter. His dad was dead,

"Peter!" Someone was shaking his shoulders. He scratched at them. They wrapped their arms around his shuddering form.

"You have to help him! He's dying!" Peter's muscles began to relax and dissolved into heaving sobs. "He's d-dead. You're t-too late. H-he's dead." The person held them close, rocking back and forth.

"It's ok, Peter. You're safe now. I know it hurts." He recognized that voice, but didn't have the motivation to place it. His mind was tired and aching.

"He's m-my dad…" Peter stuttered. "She didn't even care…"

"Who, bud? Who didn't care?" The world was beginning to come back into focus. He saw the room around him and the silhouette of the person talking to him.

"Angela… she wasn't even c-crying." He put his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry, kid. I'm so sorry." Tony said. Tony? This was Tony! He shot up.

"Mr. Stark?" He finally saw Tony's face. Embarrassment set in, and his face felt hot. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize-"

"Peter," he said softly. "It's ok. I don't mind. You can cry." His voice was so reassuring and kind that Peter relaxed again. It didn't matter how embarrassed he was, Peter couldn't stop the tears if he tried. Tony held him, and began to softly hum _You're the Inspiration,_ trying his hardest to comfort his kid.

His kid? Jeez, he was becoming way too involved.

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Love you all :)**

**REVIEWS:**

**Beachgirl25: Pepper and MJ will get their shot at Angela, don't even worry. :) Personally, I think it depends on the situation. Pepper and MJ could probably take out their own fair share of idiots when provoked. **

**Belbelanne: Surprise! Here's part of the story about Mary. As for Peter and Angela, good things (idk maybe bad things?) are coming. **

**Hawkeyes Gal: Thank you for the amazing review! I really wanted to keep the essence of "MJ" intact. I'm glad you liked it!**

**xSapphirexRosesxFanx: I'm not exactly sure what you mean? Feel free to ask the question again and maybe I can answer better.**

**MazikeenWolf: :O I can't reveal too much hehe.**

**Thanks and see you next time!**

**-katilange :)**


	6. Chapter 6: I Need Help

**A/N: Wow! Thank you so much for 3k+ views and all the support/reviews I have been getting! This story is genuinely so much fun to write, and I wouldn't be able to stay motivated without all you lovely humans. Thanks again (so so much), and enjoy the chapter! **

**Also, I'm sorry again for how sporadic my uploads are. They have been frequent because I had a spurt of creative juices recently. It's hard to get a schedule, so I write when I can. I'll stop talking; enjoy!**

_Thursday, October 3_

_6:50am_

Peter was acutely aware of how close October 4th was as he pulled on his battered converse and grabbed his backpack from where it rested on the bed. There was a pit in his stomach at the thought. _Tomorrow, tomorrow _whispered into his mind, along with other thoughts. Thoughts about his mom. Thoughts about last night.

This morning, when he had woken up, it took him a while to remember where he was and decipher what happened. Mr. Stark had comforted him from a bad dream… one he didn't seem to recall fully. There was something in the back of Peter's mind that told him it was important, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

He was mildly embarrassed at how he'd freaked out, worried that Tony would be awkward about it. But at breakfast, they talked like they normally did. Mr. Stark even gave him a ride to where he met Ned to walk to school.

Before he left the car, Peter said, "Oh yeah. My, er. My mom texted me this morning, so I won't be coming back to stay at the tower." He acted like 'my mom texted me' was a reasonable explanation, but Tony let it slide. He smiled.

"Sure kid. And take the day off tomorrow, ok?"

Peter returned the smile and nodded. "Thanks, for uh. For everything." He hopped out of the car and ran over to Ned. Tony laughed as Peter waved his arms up and down excitedly, probably telling his friend about the holo-computer.

As he pulled away from the curb, a thought nagged at his mind. Peter's dream hadn't been a coincidence. It hadn't been fake either… The kid had remembered something important, even if he didn't now. Tony frowned as his brain worked over the situation. More had gone down that night, eight years ago. And he intended to find out what that 'more' was. His stomach sank as he realized something.

He couldn't do it alone.

_Thursday, October 3_

_6:00pm_

Tony paced back and forth in front of his desk, considering. His phone sat on the surface, waiting for him. Taunting him. Inwardly, he weighed the pros and cons, shaking his head. On one hand, he didn't know what would happen if he went through with this. The sting of pain and betrayal was still fresh on his mind. On the other hand, Peter was in danger, and Tony couldn't do anything about it on his own. Finally, he snatched it and selected a contact, quickly sending a text before he could change his mind. Peter's safety was more important.

_6:05pm: I need your help. You know where to find me._

He didn't wait for a reply; Tony knew one wasn't coming. He went down to his lab, deciding to at least try and work on some projects, but he kept losing focus. His foot bounced up and down, and his fingers tapped restlessly. Tony looked over at the clock. 10:02pm. Had he really been down here for four hours? Doing nothing? He hadn't even noticed the time passing…

"And here I thought you hated me," a familiar voice called from behind him, its source hidden in shadows. He immediately froze, straightening his back and forcing his nervous limbs to stop moving.

"I'm mad, Natasha. That's different," Tony said dryly, not turning. "I need your help… You're the only one that can handle this." He heard her step from the shadows toward him, but he didn't look. He _couldn't _look. Tony didn't know what he would feel if he saw her face… fear kept him sitting still.

"What could you possibly need from me? Especially right now." Her voice was steady and cool… not harsh. It filled the room and echoed around him. Tony sighed. He couldn't avoid her forever. He spun his chair slowly around.

Nat was almost hurt by the look on his face. She had never seen him like this. His eyes, usually sparked with mischief, were clouded and fierce. His mouth, normally pulled into his 'Tony Stark' smirk, was set in a firm, thin line. She hated that she hurt him. They said nothing.

"Do you know about Spider-Man?" Ok, not the question she had expected. Nevertheless, she nodded.

"He fought with you in-" Nat changed her mind. "We've been in the city for a little bit, and word travels fast. Why?"

His rigid features softened slightly. "Well, he's a kid. A 16-year-old kid... named Peter Parker… and I think he's in trouble."

Natasha listened as Tony told her about Peter (rather fondly, she noticed), and was surprised to feel anger build in her chest. A child should be protected and safe… she knew that as well as anyone. What right did this woman, Angela, have to make him feel otherwise? He didn't have to say exactly what he thought was going on; they both knew. Her gut told her something wasn't right and that she could do something about it. She could help.

"You think she's abusing him," Nat said bluntly. "And you want me to get proof." Tony nodded, and he suddenly didn't look angry anymore. Just tired. Exhausted, even. She noticed the dark bags under his eyes and his mussed brown hair. A pang of guilt went through her. Nat hadn't realized the mess that Steve had left behind, and more importantly, who was left to clean it up.

"That's not all. Something is weird about his mom's death… I was hoping you would look into that, too." Nat knew it took a lot for him to ask for help. Maybe, if things were different, she would be flattered.

"It's really risky, Tony. What if I get caught? I'm a criminal, remember?"

"No one's making you do anything, Natasha," he snapped. She cringed at the longer version of her name. He always used to call her 'Nat' or 'Widow'. He loved nicknames. "I need a favor. Just this once, and you'll never have to see me again. Just like you want." Tony was angry again, and he still wouldn't look her in the eyes.

"I don't want that," she said softly. "I didn't want it to be like this…" his eyes remained on the ground. "I'll do what I can for Peter. Then maybe we can fix things."

Tony swiveled around and grabbed a glass of wine from his desk, downing the entire thing. She was confused. Wine was not usually his alcohol of choice; it was always whiskey or something stronger. This boy might have had more of an effect than she first realized. Nat found herself smiling. Maybe there was hope that they could mend this. That they could be a team again...

He set the glass back on the desk, shoulders slumped. He tossed her a thumb-drive over his back. She caught it with ease. "It's all you need to know about him. And you _cannot_ tell anyone, got it? It's the kid's secret."

"I won't," Nat said. There was a pause. "Listen, I-"

"Please leave. I can't do this right now." He sounded so hurt, so angry that Nat was glad he was facing the other way, because she wasn't able to hide the pain from her face. The familiar sadness that accompanied her thoughts about Germany weighed heavy on her heart.

"I'm sorry," she said simply.

"You made your choice. Now go." He didn't look up to see her leave, but Tony knew she was gone. He could no longer feel her presence watching him.

The shattered glass was covering the floor before he realized he had thrown it.

_Friday, October 4_

_5:00am_

"No, Steve. He wasn't exactly happy to see me." Natasha paced back and forth along the dirty cement floor, a silver phone clutched tightly in her hand. "Yes, I tried. He's not hearing it!" A pause. "I mean can you blame him?" She tapped her fingers on the burner phone. "No, I can't tell you. I made a promise."

Nat rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure. I've got to go, check back if you can. Tell Sam I said hi. Yes, he's here." Bucky glanced up at her from where he sat. "Ok, ok. Bye." She shook her head and tossed the temporary phone to Bucky, who caught it and crushed it with his metal hand. They couldn't risk anything. Not now.

Natasha went and sat at a small makeshift desk, opening her computer. She had dropped by the Parker residence early this morning and left a few bugs that were recording all the time. She listened with some earbuds that she found on the street a couple days ago. While Nat waited to hear something, she decided to research Angela Parker, or before marriage, Angela Magran. Angela worked for a company called RaylenTech (or RayTech), run by one of Stark Industries biggest competitors, Mark Raylen. Richard and Mary Parker, Peter's mom and dad, had also worked there. Angela's position wasn't on public record, so she had to dig deeper.

This is probably why Tony wanted her help. She was used to finding things that didn't want to be found.

Noises in her earbuds alerted her. "Looks like someone's up," she said to herself. Bucky, who was seated in the corner, looked at her and opened his mouth. Nat held a finger up to shush him.

"Where are you going?" A female voice called, presumably to whoever was making the noise.

"T-to… uh. To the g-graveyard, mom. T-today is October 4th." This person she assumed was Peter. He sounded so small and nervous; she could hardly believe he was a superhero. The kid had caught a carrier in Germany not 6 months ago. He sounded _way_ different now.

"Why is that necessary? I told you that you were grounded from free time until you learned your lesson." This person was probably Angela. She sounded cold and calculating, and if Nat were to guess, she would say her eyes were dark brown or black.

"She died today," Peter said, a little indignantly. "Eight years ago." Nat was glad he was trying to stand up for himself; that meant it wasn't too late. But she also frowned. Was this woman so cruel that she wouldn't allow a child to visit his mom's grave?

There was a resigned huff. "Fine. But head straight to school afterwards, got it? And I'm calling Stark to make sure you get to the internship." She spat Tony's name out. That was a clue… she obviously disliked the man. But, many people did.

"Thank you, mom."

"I'm only hard on you because I love you, Peter. Always remember that." Nat snorted. If Angela really loved him, she would treat him like a real teenager. Like a kid.

Bucky shot her a weird look. She shot him one right back. _I'm working_, she mouthed, pointing at the screen. He looked down and continued fiddling with his sleeve cuff. Over the recording, she heard a door close and a sigh from Angela. Nat didn't hear anything again for a couple more hours, when the woman was on the phone.

"I'm not sure, Mark. He's… he's just not ready yet," she was saying. She was talking with the head of RayTech, which meant she either worked for him or with him. "We have to get to zero!" A pause. "No, I don't think we can make it go any faster." Another pause. "I don't think so. Peter shouldn't have even survived the bite. He was an anomaly." _So she knows about Spider-Man._

She waited. "We can't do any tests on him until it gets down to zero, you know that!" This pause was longer than the others. "I'm working on it, ok? Give me a break! It's all that time with Stark." A short wait. "Because of the money, that's why! I can use it for the project!"

Angela was pretty much yelling now, and she took a moment to calm down. "I've got it under control, sir. Just another month. I'll try and find a reason to keep Peter away from _him_, until further research can pursue. Yes. Yes, sir. Goodbye." Once the call cut off, Angela cursed and slammed her fist down on something. Nat couldn't see, but she figured it was the table.

The last thing she heard from the woman was, "I need more time."

_Friday, October 4_

_5:29am_

Peter grabbed the brown, wilting lilacs from the vase and replaced them with new ones. The bright purple flowers shone in the dim light. Lilacs were her favorite. Even now, he could recall the smell… it brought a small smile to his face. He sat down cross-legged in front of the modest gravestone.

"Hi, mom," he started. Peter usually told her about what had happened since the last time he visited. "I know it's been a couple months… I'm sorry. But you'll never guess who I'm interning for!" He rambled on, telling the empty air about Tony and the work they were doing. He spoke about the room that he had in Avengers Tower ("That's right mom, _Avengers Tower!"_). Soon, the topic drifted to his friends.

"I think I might… I might _like_ MJ. _Like_ as in more than a friend. It's weird… she's smart, a-and funny. And she doesn't care what anyone thinks! Not to mention she's got really pretty eyes and cute curly brown hair. I don't think I'll ever get the courage to ask her out, though. If I did, she would probably say, 'Are you suggesting that as a woman, I can't ask _you_ on a date?'" He laughed to himself. "I wish you could meet her, mom. She's amazing." He didn't even realize he was crying.

"You've missed so much… I got my driver's license… and-and…." Peter put his head in his hands. "I grew up, mom. I miss you… so much." With that, he began singing softly, the notes filling the empty graveyard and floating through the still air.

His voice cracked as he sang, "_I want to have you near me_." He sniffed and his voice cracked. "_I want to… have you hear m-me saying._.." Peter stopped. He couldn't sing the next words. He had to choke them out, losing the sweet melody to his emotion.

"N-no one needs y-you more t-than I n-need you…"

_Friday, October 4_

8:01am

Nat slipped her knife into the window latch, sliding the blade quickly across to unlock it. She was grateful that the latches were old school, but she had disabled the security system anyway. Her black boots landed in a bedroom, and from the looks of it, it was Peter's. The room was small, and it was crammed with a bed, a desk, and tons of random electronic parts. Everything other than the desk was pretty neat; the bed was made, and no clothes were lying around. A picture of his parents was on the bedside table,

Natasha wandered out of the room, her footsteps silent and careful. She found her way to the kitchen and placed a tiny camera in the corner above a cabinet. This way, she could watch what was going on and not invade their privacy.

She slipped on a pair of black leather gloves and went back down the only hall in the apartment. The walls had a couple of frames, but they didn't hold any pictures. One contained a degree of graduation for Angela, and the other held a certificate of Academic Achievement for Peter. Nat thought it was slightly strange that they had no photos of Peter's parents or any of him and Angela together.

Peter's room was the first door on the right, so she passed it and came to the first on the left. A bathroom. She moved on to the room next to Peter's. This one was more promising; it was Angela's. There wasn't anything that was personalized in the bedroom, similar to the hallway. There was a queen size bed with white sheets and a desk. She looked quickly through the desk, but finding nothing, Nat replaced everything carefully and left.

The last room at the end of the hall appeared to be an office. Jackpot.

Everything was meticulously organized into boxes, files, and drawers, labeled neatly. There was a larger desk in the middle of the room facing the door. Nat went straight to that first. The top drawer was locked, so she dug around in the others first. It was mostly junk; a couple bills and some uncashed checks. Since everything was so neat, Nat took great caution in putting everything back the way she found it.

It didn't take long to pick the lock, although it was stronger than most desk drawers. Inside there were eight manila folders that were labeled in numerical order. Nat grabbed the first one and quickly scanned it, then took a photo of the papers inside. She'd have to look over them more later.

Repeating the process with the other files in the room, locking the desk, and exiting the apartment only took her 10 minutes, with a minute or two to restart the alarm system.

When Nat arrived back at the hideout, Bucky hadn't moved from his spot in the corner. He wasn't one for restlessness, she supposed. She walked past him and pulled open her laptop again. The camera blinked on, sending her a low-quality image.

"Now we wait," she said to herself. Nat suddenly remembered the files, and uploaded them to her computer. After retouching them, she began to read them out loud.

_August 10, 2011: Joint Project 13, test #30_

_Mary Parker and Angela Magran of RaylenTech Inc._

_Written Report: Spider showed signs of an increase in strength, agility, and sensory input. Subject 30 appeared to be able to sense its surroundings with incredible speed and accuracy. It could also hold nearly 100 times its own weight._

_Oral Report:_

~-begin recording~-

"Mary Parker on test number 30. We induced radioactive levels 0.03% higher than test 29, and it was successful in altering the spider!"

"For about five minutes. This is Angela Magran, and the spider was not able to handle that much radiation. I think we are going to have to selectively breed the species and remain at constant levels of radiation for success. All equations are being re-ran and double-checked."

"While the spider died only five minutes after introduction, we were able to run several tests that provided information on the spider's enhanced abilities. If the equation is altered correctly, we can use this info to benefit the human race."

"Or enhance it."

-~end recording~-

Natasha set the papers down and leaned back in her chair. "Peter's mom was working to help people…"

Bucky, who had taken some interest and was behind her left shoulder said, "And the other girl wanted to make people better. Like the experiments HYDRA did."

"Or the one Banner pulled." She looked through the other files. "They go back into 2010. They were working on this for a year. The file I just read is the most recent… and it was recording a few weeks before Peter's mom went missing."

They were quiet. "Do you think she figured it out?" Bucky asked. "The formula, I mean. Maybe Raylen wanted it for… enhancing people, and she didn't know. What happened the night she disappeared?"

"I don't know. That's what I'm trying to find out."

**A/N: Thanks for reading. :)**

**REVIEWS:**

**Belbelanne: Oh my heck, I started laughing so hard when I read that! No, you're not a bad person. It's what we all want. :)**

**MazikeenWolf: Haha! Wooo! #irondad indeed. ;)**

**xSapphirexRosesxFanx: :O Literally how did you know? I've been wanting to add Nat into the story for so long, and I finally did. I'm a little freaked out that you guessed that so well, haha. :D**

**Hawkeyes Gal: Thank you 3 And of course! I love replying to reviews; it's one of my favorite things to do. :)**

**Thanks again and see you next time!**

**-katilange**


	7. Chapter 7: Mary

**A/N: Hello there! A note before you begin: this was super hard to write (and it's pretty long), and I had to work out a lot of details. Please please PLEASE let me know if anything is confusing. Because then, I can fix it! Otherwise, enjoy and make sure to leave any comments/suggestions in the reviews. :)**

**No warnings because there's nothing super graphic this chapter. **

_Sunday, September 4, 2011_

_10:02pm_

"_I don't know Richard, but it's not good." Peter's parents were arguing again, but this time, it wasn't angry. It was urgent and hushed, like something bad was happening. He should have known then that it would all come crashing down._

"_Why? What's so wrong with it?" _

_From his vantage point on the stairwell, the small child could see his mother shaking her head and moving her arms up and down. _

"_Think for a moment. Do you really want a world with _more _enhanced humans in it? A world that our son has to grow up in? This is dangerous… too dangerous."_

"_Then burn the formula, Mary. Take your research and leave." His father gripped Mary by her shoulders._

"_Don't you think I've already done that? But him and Ange… they know I was close. What if they found out? They could hurt us, Richard."_

"_I thought Angela was your friend," he said, fear creeping into his pained voice. _

_His mom shook her head again. "She's different now… I should have noticed when things started to change, but I didn't. If it was to get that equation…" They were quiet._

"_I have to go to the lab," she said. "To make sure it's all gone. I'll be back in an hour."_

"_Mary, please, wait until tomorrow. Or at least, let me come with you."_

_She removed his hands from her shoulders. "You have to stay here. For Peter."_

_At his name, Peter hopped down the stairs and ran for his mother. "Don't go!"_

_Mary looked at him, shocked. She bent down and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I have to go, baby. But only for a little bit. I'll be back in time to make you breakfast in the morning, don't worry."_

_He looked into her eyes. "Ok."_

_She rose and ruffled his hair. "I love you, Peter. Go back to bed now."_

_Peter hugged his dad before scurrying back into his bedroom. Safe under the covers, he had no idea that tomorrow's promise would be broken. Mary would not make him scrambled eggs and bacon, shaped into a smile, like she always did._

_When Peter woke the next morning, his Father had pulled him out of bed and ran outside. Down the sidewalk, down the street, to the police station, all while the child was trying to rub the lingering dream from behind his eyelids. He had been too tired to ask what was going on until they got there, and by that time he already knew something was wrong._

_His mom had not come home last night. She had not made him breakfast this morning, and she never would again, and even though he was only nine… He knew his whole life would change. He knew that nothing would ever be the same again… Not his life, not his conversations, not his thoughts… Not his dad._

_Everything began swirling in his mind, shifting from one image to the next like a broken slideshow. Peter wondered dimly if he was dreaming, but that wasn't possible because the tears were real. You didn't cry in dreams, did you? Or maybe it was like when you dream about going to the bathroom, and you wake up and you've wet the bed._

_He felt like he was being tossed from thought to thought in his head. It wasn't painful, just weird. Peter finally landed with a thud, surrounded by blackness. Everything was quiet and still, except for his heavy breathing._

"_Peter," a familiar voice called softly. His heart skipped a beat. He knew that voice… it couldn't. No. She was gone. "Peter." She spoke again, from behind him, louder this time. Peter's hands were shaking. He didn't get his hopes up. She wasn't real. This was another memory… it had to be._

"_Peter Benjamin Parker, if you don't turn around this instant…" she didn't finish, but then again she didn't have to. Peter smiled. She always did this when she was angry with him… but this time, it sounded like a tease._

_He turned._

_There she was, seemingly radiating light. Her thick, wavy brown hair fell to below her shoulders, just like he remembered. He bet that she probably smelled like strawberries and candy, just like he remembered. Her mouth was formed into a half-smile, half-smirk… just like he remembered._

"_Is this a dream?" Peter's voice sounded weird to him, shaky and unsure, and it cracked at the last syllable. "You can't… you can't be real." The tears that were flowing at the previous memory pricked the back of his eyes._

_She smiled more gently. "Well, I am real, Peter. But this isn't quite a dream." Her voice rang into his head, sending a cacophony of emotions and echoes through his brain. Unable to stop himself, he ran to her. They embraced tightly for a moment. Peter recalled the last time they had hugged like this… that night. He was much taller than her, having grown nearly two feet since then. He wished it could last longer, but she pulled away._

"_You're so big," his mom said, sounding slightly sad. "I've missed a lot, haven't I?"_

_Peter looked down and did not answer. She placed a finger under his chin and tipped it up to look at her. _

"_You're my little Inspiration, baby. You brought be back, even for a moment."_

_He couldn't help but ask, "Why? A-and… how?"_

_Her lovely face darkened. "You know why, Peter. How doesn't matter." She grabbed his hands in her own. "You're in trouble. Something big is coming, and… and I'm worried about you. Your father and I… we can't protect you anymore. You have to be careful who you trust."_

_Her image blurred, and the corners of his vision began to darken. His mother's eyes became more urgent. "You're waking up now. Listen, Peter… I love you and you have to be careful of-" the words were slow and fading. He seemed to be falling down, down, away from her and even his scrambling arms could do nothing to stop it. Desperately, she shouted, "You need to tell Tony about-" her words and image disappeared, leaving him to the darkness._

"_No! Come back! Don't leave me again!_

… don't leave me again…"

"Woah, bud. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." Someone had their hand on his back. Mr. Stark. He was at the Tower. This time, when he realized where he was, he didn't jerk up. Peter just let his head rest on the desk in the lab and allowed silent tears to slip from his eyes.

Defeated and heartbroken, he whispered, "She's gone."

Tony remained silent for the next few minutes, waiting until Peter stopped crying. His hand remained on the kid's back, slowly rubbing circles to comfort him. He didn't have to ask who Peter was talking about…

"You wanna… talk about it?" Tony asked once Peter's breathing had become more steady. The kid sat up and looked at him, brown eyes red-rimmed and watery.

"She… she was trying to warn me a-about something," he managed. "She told me I had to tell you…"

"Tell me what? Warn you about what?"

"I don't know."

_Monday, October 7_

_10:11pm_

"What did you find?" Tony called behind him, sensing a familiar presence. Nat stepped from the shadows, heels clicking softly. She never could seem to hide from him for very long.

"We had to move around, Tony. I haven't had enough time to investigate deeper yet. But…"

He looked at her, and again his face was cold. She tried to keep her own expression level as she pulled a manila file from her satchel.

"What? What is that?' Tony stood, crossing his arms. He eyed the small folder with wariness.

Nat walked past him to the desk and set the file down. She sighed.

"We have a theory," she began.

He quirked an eyebrow. "We?"

"Me and… nevermind, it's not important. Don't interrupt." Tony pursed his lips, but stayed quiet. She continued, "Mary Parker and Angela Magran. Grew up in the same neighborhood, same elementary, same high school, college roommates… best friends."

Tony was having a really hard time not stopping her. "Richard remarried Mary's best friend? That's kind of a douche-bag move." She glared at him. "Ok, ok. Continue."

"They both ended up as interns for RayTech and eventually worked on the scientific research team together. I found one of the projects they were working on…" Nat gestured to the papers.

He picked them up gently and scanned through the words. Tony's mouth dropped open. "They made the spider? But that's how Peter-"

"Got his powers, I know. But once Mark got to Angela… they started to work against Mary. She wanted to use the ideas for medical advancements… they wanted it for power. I think she must have figured it out. The formula. The last research file is roughly two weeks before she vanished."

"Did they ever find it?"

"No. I don't think they were successful until Peter. The spider must have died or something, because nothing further has happened. I mean, I don't know about you, but I haven't heard of any other enhanced spider-people on the news. It could have been a fluke."

Nat folded her arms, mirroring Tony. "Since Richard and Angela were married before he was bitten, I think she wanted to use Peter as a test subject. He was young… easy to control."

Tony shook his head, processing this information. "Maybe that's why she tried to get close to Richard… she _needed _Peter." His brow furrowed. "Why? Why would he let her do that?"

Nat looked pained. "He was heartbroken, Tony… who knows what he was feeling."

"He had a son! The kid was nine, for crying out loud! Don't you think _he _was heartbroken, too? How could he do that to Peter?"

She was surprised at his sudden burst of anger. He was breathing heavily and staring at the ground in contempt.

"I don't know," Nat said slowly. "I'm not a parent."

Tony looked up at her. "Well, neither am I, but come _on_."

She looked at him, saying nothing.

"So you think Mark and Angela _killed_ Mary for her work? They were best friends…"

"People change."

They made eye contact. "Yeah, they do."

The quiet surrounding them became thick and uncomfortable. Once again she felt the anger and hurt emanating from him.

"Tony… at least let me explain."

"Please do. Please, tell me why you sided with a… with him." He leaned back in his chair.

"Bucky's a good person, Tony. Despite what you think-

A dark cloud of sadness (_Sadness? _She thought_, That was new_) came over him. "That man… he killed them. My dad." Tony swallowed. "My mom. They're dead because of him."

"Don't you think he knows that? Don't you think he's already guilty about what he did as the Winter Soldier? He has nightmares every night, Tony, just like the rest of us."

She could see him soften, even just a little bit.

He rubbed his temples and handed the file back to her. "Let me know what else you find."

She grabbed it and sighed. He was so stubborn.

"He's been helping me with this. He wants to. And I don't intend to stop him."

With that, she was gone.

_Friday, October 11_

_7:01am_

"Peter, come here." Angela sat at the kitchen counter, scrawling on an array of papers. He set down his backpack and approached cautiously.

"Yeah?"

"You know I work at RayTech. I want you to come with me to the lab today," she stated this so matter-of-factly that Peter didn't catch what she was saying for a moment.

"What? But I thought-"

"I know I told you I worked as a secretary but… I actually work with the Research Department. I apologize for lying, but I didn't think you needed to know what I did." Angela kept her eyes trained on whatever she was writing. Her face remained calm.

Peter was shocked. "Why do you want me to come with you?"

"I want to run some tests. We don't know what your powers can do yet. Don't you want to find out?" She finally looked at him, her dark eyes flashing. "And don't worry, I haven't told anyone about… Spider-Man." The word came out a little gurgled. She had always thought that the whole superhero thing was silly. "That's our little secret, right?"

He nodded quickly, trying not to think about Tony or MJ. Peter had to admit, he was curious about his powers… he'd never tested them before. Angela gathered her papers and shoved them into a briefcase, drawing him out of his thoughts.

"Are you ready?" She snapped the case shut.

"Sure but… what about school?"

"You're excused," she said. Peter sent a quick text to Ned and MJ saying not to wait for him and grabbed his shoes. He was kind of excited.

When they got to the lab, Angela made him change out of his clothes into a white cotton jumpsuit. She said it was so that his regular clothes didn't get ruined. Now he stood awkwardly in the middle of what looked like a gym.

Her heard a voice come through some speakers at the corners of the room. "Ok, Peter. I want to test your endurance first." It was Angela. He assumed she was on the other side of a large mirror attached to one wall. "Run laps around the track as fast as you can. Don't stop until I say so."

Peter did. He ran, legs pumping at a steady pace. He was lost in thought until she commanded, "Stop." He thought it might have been running a half an hour, but there were no clocks in this room. He hadn't been thinking about it before, but his chest and legs were beginning to ache with exhaustion, and Peter was glad she let him stop and rest.

It didn't last, for about 5 minutes later, Angela called, "Ok. Now go over to the bench press and lift as much as you can." The weights were much heavier than anything he'd seen at a normal gym. They were labeled from 200-500lbs. He started out with two 300's on either side and lifted them easily. He added two more. Again, it was easy.

Peter grabbed two 500's and added them. It was more difficult this time, but he still was able to lift it without too much effort. He headed to add more, but she stopped him.

"Well done. That will be all for lifting. We're sending in some… people to fight you. I want to see how well you handle them without a suit."

"What?" Peter didn't want to fight anybody. He already did enough of that daily. And he wasn't trained to fight without his suit. Peter wasn't sure what he could do.

"You'll be fine. Now, head to the open floor space to your left and await further instruction." He made his way slowly, excitement draining from his mind.

A door clicked open, and he immediately took a fighting stance, instinct kicking in. Four people dressed in all black, with masks covering their features, stepped out. They had no weapons.

From behind the glass, Mark Raylen observed Peter as he fought the 1-team.

"And you say he's down to zero?"

Angela nodded. "As of today, he's nearly perfected the fight. No casualties during any crimes where Spider-Man was present."

As if to prove her point, Peter stood, panting, above 10, 11, 12, and 13. They appeared to be unconscious.

Mark nodded. "Impressive. How did he take down 13 so easily?"

"He ran at 27mph for 2 hours, sir. And lifted nearly 2,500lbs."

Her boss raised an eyebrow. "That's more than we predicted." Mark looked at Peter. "He didn't kill them."

"No, sir. He hasn't killed anyone… just hands them over to cops."  
His voice was deep and commanding. "So this means that the bite didn't change how he thought or acted. He's the same person, but enhanced. Send in the 2-team. Now," he paused. "Remind me again how he even received the bite?"

Angela shifted in her seat. "I took it home to research… I wanted to see how it reacted to a natural environment. I guess it got out and bit him." She didn't look at him.

"If it hadn't worked… you know what I would be forced to do."

"I understand, sir."

"What are the numbers?"

"Ninety-nine of the hundred test subjects shriveled within minutes of radiation."

"And the one?"

She gestured to Peter, who was in the middle of an arm wrestle with 22. Sweat was beginning to stain the front and back of his shirt, and it was dripping down his forehead.

"The spider died right after it bit Peter. It shouldn't have even survived the radiation… the numbers don't match… He shouldn't have survived either, but here we are."

"Then get the numbers to match. I want this formula done, the kid taken care of, and another test subject before Halloween. Got it?" Mark turned to leave.

"Sir, that's extremely unlikely. Without Mary's work, we haven't even-"  
"_Do I make myself clear?_" He glared at her over his shoulder.

She sighed. "Yes, sir." The large man left with a slam of the door.

Peter had just finished with the 2-team when she said, "That's enough for now. Do more laps and then you can have a break. Afterwards, I'd like to test your brain." He nodded, looking less intimidating when he wasn't fighting four people at once.

After the break, he was brought to a smaller, square room with white walls a single table in the middle. It was silver and bolted to the floor. Another mirror was to the left, but it was otherwise empty. Peter sat down at the table, expecting Angela to follow him. Instead, she handed him a packet and a pencil and shut the door.

"Do the work as fast as you can." She was quiet after that. In fact, the entire room was quiet save for tiny beep that sounded every couple minutes or so. It was a minor annoyance, nothing he couldn't handle.

Peter took a seat; the chair was cool and hard. He began on the packet. The first part was math, which was his specialty, so it didn't take long. The second part was science. The little beep sounded and he felt a jolt of something rush through him. _Okay, _he thought. _That was weird._

"Peter," Angela explained. "You're going to feel a shock every few minutes. This is to test your pain tolerance."

He nodded and continued to scrawl on the paper. This continued for the next while. Beep, then a shock. Beep, shock. Beep… shock.

Peter found he was losing focus. He started to dread the little noise, fearing the rush of pain that followed. The words were blurring together on the paper and his fingers were shaking. Beep. He cringed before it even came. Shock. Was the sound getting louder? He wasn't sure. It seemed like it…

It's sound was specific and high-pitched. Every time it happened, it echoed in his head for a second. Peter was no longer working. He just sat there… dreading the sound. How long had he been sitting in this chair? It didn't matter… It would come again, he was sure of it. It was coming. Any second now…

"That's enough," she said, making him jump. Relief coursed through him. _Finally. _Peter all but ran from the room when Angela opened the door. She caught him by the wrist at the entrance.

"I have to stay here and finish up some work. Wear this," she handed him a small silver bracelet. "It's to monitor your stats. Don't take it off, ever. It's waterproof." It clipped on and hugged his wrist tightly.

"You're free to go, Peter. We need to run more tests on Monday, ok?"

He didn't ever want to come here again, but Peter knew that wouldn't go over well. He simply nodded and left, heading to Stark Tower. It was only slightly surprising how much time had passed. It was 3:00pm now, about the time he usually worked with Mr. Stark.

Peter found somewhere to change and swung away, trying to ignore the low rumble in his aching stomach.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! This chapter was a paiiiin to write. Again, please let me know if any of it didn't make sense, and I'll be sure to revise.**

**REVIEWS:**

**xSapphirexRosesxFanx: Hehe, there you go! I hope that made sense. Let me know if you have any questions regarding it. **

**anycytophilian: Thank you! I hope I didn't disappoint!**

**Belbelanne: Your reviews always make me laugh XD **

**Hawkeyes Gal: She's one of my favorites too! I love her and have been **_**dying**_ **to add her in to my story. So… here you go!**

**Thanks again and see you all next time! Also, P.S., there's more of May to come. I just didn't want you to think I had forgotten about her. ;)**

**-katilange**


	8. Chapter 8: He Needs You

**A/N: First of all, thank you SO MUCH for 100 follows. Seriously, it means the world to me. :) I also appreciate all the views, favorites, and sweet reviews. You guys are awesome!**

**Also have a very Merry Christmas (if you celebrate it) or an amazing holidays (if you celebrate something else)! I am so excited to read all the Christmas one-shots that I hope will be posted. I would like to write one myself, but I'm not very good at writing things that aren't… angsty and low-key depressing. **

**There probably won't be another chapter terribly soon (it being the new year and all), but the next couple chapters are going to get intense. Prepare yourselves. :) Anyway, hope you enjoy and be sure to leave any comments/suggestions in the reviews below! (Also no warnings today, nothing gory this time around)**

_Friday, October 11_

_3:16pm_

Peter landed softly in his room at the Tower and changed out of his suit. He laid it carefully on the bed and tried to resist the urge to climb in and sleep for 8 years.

FRIDAY's voice filled the silence. "Hello, Mr. Parker. I have alerted the boss to your arrival. May I assist you with anything today?"

"No thanks, FRI," he said tiredly, remorsefully walking away from the plush covers.

"You seem to be low on energy. I can tell Mr. Stark that you are resting, if you would like."

"No, really, it's fine. I'll be ok." Peter left and headed down to the lab.

Tony was standing and studying the newest model of his suit when he heard someone enter. He automatically assumed it was his favorite (and only) intern.

"You know kid, I was thinking of-" he stopped when he saw Peter. "Woah." The kid looked tired. Actually, he looked _exhausted_. His hair was mussed, and there were dark circles under his brown eyes. Not only that, but Peter seemed jumpy and nervous, like a pin dropping could scare him

He gave Tony a "what?" look and shoved his hands in his ratty jean pockets.

"Are you ok, Peter?"

He frowned. "I mean… I'm a little tired, but yeah. Why?"

"Come on, kid. You look…" Tony struggled for the right words. "Hungry," He decided. "How about some Pad Thai?"

Peter's stomach grumbled on cue. He looked down. "S-sure. That sounds alright."

"No, even better," Mr. Stark said as they made their way to the penthouse. "Larb."

The kid nodded, but didn't say anything. He seemed lost in thought. Tony couldn't blame him, he was thinking, too. They fell into a comfortable silence.

Tony wondered what the heck went wrong. He had seen Peter two days ago, and he was fine! Maybe even better than usual… but now. Something had to have happened, or else Peter wouldn't be so… timid. It was almost unsettling to see the normally excited teen flinch at every loud noise. Now, he was looking around frantically like someone was gonna jump out and fight him.

They sat down at the counter, and Tony slid Peter a glass of water, then turned and grabbed some leftovers from their dinner the other day. When he shut the fridge, Peter started at the noise, spilling water onto his lap. The man sighed and set the tupperware down.

"Pete. What's wrong? And don't tell me nothing, because it obviously isn't nothing." He indicated the puddle.

Peter looked down, ashamed. "Sorry I spilled it… I'll clean it up." He began to rise, but Tony put up a hand.

"I've got it, kid. Don't avoid the question."

Peter's mind scrambled for an excuse that Mr. Stark would buy. He couldn't keep blaming this stuff on his patrolling… that would only last for so long.

Not able to think of anything else, he settled with, "Didn't get much sleep last night."

Even though Peter could tell he didn't really believe him, Tony didn't push it. He just nodded and passed the kid a plate of larb, sticking his own dish of noodles in the microwave. He walked around the kitchen island to wipe up the spilled water.

Peter smiled at his food. "You know, I first had this at May's. She invited me over one time to help her move some furniture, and Angela was gone for the weekend, so she wanted me to stay for dinner. 'Thai food: one of the finer things in life,' she said." He laughed. "She dared me to order the item on the menu with the weirdest name… and the rest is history."

Tony chuckled along with him. "I'm more of a noodle guy myself, but I respect the backstory."

The microwave beeped, interrupting their laughs, and Peter jumped so hard that Tony was surprised he didn't go crashing through the ceiling. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his muscles were tense.

"Jeez, bud. You're so jumpy," Tony eyed him as he got his food from the small appliance.

"Weird dreams," Peter said distractedly. "Hey, uh. I'll be right back… I left my phone in my room." He stood up to leave but a flash of silver caught Tony's attention.

"Wait, wait, wait. What's that?"

Peter pulled his jacket sleeve down, covering the object. "What's what?"

Tony raised an eyebrow. "That thing on your wrist. It looks like tech."

_Crap_, Peter thought. _I'm really screwed. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone about today._ Angela's words rang through his head. "_It's our little secret, right?" _What would she do if she found out that someone else knew? What if she did something to Pepper… or Tony? Or MJ? He couldn't risk it.

"It's, um. J-just a bracelet." _A bracelet that monitors my every breath. A bracelet that feels like it's getting tighter and tighter-_

Mr. Stark nodded slowly. "All right. Hurry back and finish eating."

"Ok," he said, then ran off down the hall.

"FRIDAY," Tony said quietly when Peter was gone. "Scan the kid for any unrecognizable tech."

She was quiet for a moment. "Nothing detected, boss. Although I would recommend that Mr. Parker eat something. He appears fatigued."

If the "bracelet" wasn't tech… then what was it? Why did Peter hide it from him? Or… maybe it was just a bracelet. Maybe he was worrying too much. Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. Yeah, that was it… he was overthinking.

Peter came back into the kitchen, interrupting his thoughts. He was bent over his phone, eyebrows furrowed.

"What is it, kid?" Tony asked, pushing Peter's plate of food toward him.

He pushed it back. "I, uh. I'm not hungry anymore. And it's nothing."

"Oh no you don't," Stark said. "You're eating. That's final."

"But-"

"FRIDAY says you need to eat, so eat."

Peter huffed, but picked up his fork and started to eat.

"Did you actually just pout? Is that what that was?"

The kid laughed, even with his mouth still half-full. "No, it wasn't."

"Oh, it totally was. That was a pout. I can't believe this! You just pouted at me." Tony threw his hands up, waving his fork around.

"I did not! I'm sixteen, I don't pout," Pete tried to sound defensive, but he was laughing too much.

"You're doing it again," he accused playfully. "Now, less pouting and more eating."

_Monday, October 14_

_7:00am_

Peter almost made it out the door. He almost made it down the rickety metal steps, and he almost went to school that day. He remembered when school sucked… back before his dad died. He would give anything for school to suck worse than home… anything. Peter supposed that if he texted Ned and MJ, they would come and get him. But he knew it would never work.

"Peter," Angela said from behind him, right before the door closed. "You didn't forget, right?"

Just as he was about to respond, another voice said, "Peter! It's good to see you! You've been like a ghost recently."

May was in the hall, scrubs on and purse in hand. She smiled and went over to him.

"Gosh, you look like a ghost, too. You're so skinny!" She patted his face. "Come over sometime, we can fix that with larb in a heartbeat." May winked.

Angela opened the door all the way and looked the other woman up and down. She narrowed her eyes, coming and standing behind Peter.

"Mrs. Miriam," she said curtly. "How nice to see you."

May forced a smile. "And you as well. Off to work?"

"Yes. Peter here," Angela clamped a hand on his shoulder. "Is coming with me to look around the lab today. What about you?" She indicated the scrubs.

"Actually, I just got back from a grave shift. Hey, uh, you keep in touch, alright? Maybe we can do dinner sometime?"

"Sounds lovely," she replied, words clipped. "Take care."

May gripped her purse tightly. "You too. Goodbye, Peter." She nodded at Angela. "Mrs. Parker."

Angela steered him away and down the stairs. She leaned in and whispered, "No more speaking to that woman. She's a bad influence."

"But May's amazing! She-"

Her hand grew vice like on his shoulder. "A. Bad. Influence. That's _final._" Her words came out as growl.

May watched them go with contempt. Angela's sleek black hair swished back and forth, and her heels clicked almost ominously. She watched the woman lean in and tell Peter something. He started to protest, but was silenced by her. He nodded in defeat.

She grunted. _That's no way to treat a child, _she thought. _That _woman _ought to be stopped. _Something nagged at her, though. There was such a strange energy surrounding their interaction. Peter looked like he was leaving for school. It didn't seem like he wanted to go. May pulled her phone from her pocket and rang Mr. Stark. She was wondering if he knew anything about this.

"Tony here," he answered.

"Hi, Mr. Stark? It's May. May Miriam."

"May? Good to hear from you. What can I do you for?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's… It's about-" she stopped and looked around, making sure that they were gone. Lowering her voice, she finished, "It's about Peter."

"What? Is something wrong?"

May went into her apartment and locked the door. "Not anything more than usual… I think. I just wanted to ask you if you knew he was going with Angela to work."

She heard a muffled crash and cursing. "Sorry, May. It's just my robot. No, I did not know that… did she tell you why?"

"Why would she tell me that? Tony, that woman looks at me like I'm the spit in her coffee." May tossed her keys and bag onto the counter.

"I'll look into it. Thanks, May." The call clicked off.

"Goodbye to you too," she said, rolling her eyes again. "I swear that man has no sense of-"

"Hello. May, right?"

May nearly jumped out of her skin. She yelped and scrambled behind the counter. A woman with shocking red hair was sitting on a chair in the living room, twirling something in her fingers. A knife. Was that _a knife_?

"Stay back! I-I'll call the cops!" May held up her phone, already dialing 911.

"Calm down!" The lady set her knife down and showed her hands. "I'm just here to talk. My name is Natasha. Tony asked me to help with… uh. With the kid." She quirked her head towards the wall where Peter's apartment was.

"Wait. Natasha as in… Black Widow?" May lowered her device.

"You can call me Nat," she said, smiling.

"But you're a-"

"Criminal? Technically, yes." There was a touch of bitterness to her tone, but it was almost unnoticeable.

"I was going to say a hero! I don't know if you remember this, but during 2012? When the aliens attacked? You saved my husband, Ben. He was here watching the apartment while I was on a vacation with my family… He wouldn't stop talking about it for weeks. 'A real Avenger, May, I swear!'" She chuckled fondly. "I was so mad when they said you had… that you were..." May groaned. "It's not a fair situation."

Nat was shocked. Flattered, even. It was nice to know she had done some good for once. That someone remembered her sacrifices. After the mistakes she and the team had made since New York… it was nice to hear.

"I'm glad. Where's your husband now?"

May looked at a framed photo on the wall, and her face showed an expression of bittersweetness. "He died… about a year and a half ago. Gun shot."

Natasha's heart was heavy. She approached May and grabbed her shoulders gently. "I'm so sorry," she said, her voice nearly inaudible. In the past year and a half, May had heard those words a million times. From neighbors, friends, family… This was the second time she knew that someone really meant it. When she looked at Nat's face, it was the face of someone who understood. Gratitude swelled up in her chest.

"Thank you," she managed. "So uh. What did you need to talk to me about?"

Nat pulled away, becoming serious again. "Tony… he asked me to help… connect the dots on Peter's mom and dad. They were murdered, but there's more to the story." She explained everything to May, including the suspicions of abuse.

At the end, the other woman nodded grimly. "If I ever get my hands on that woman I'll-" she exhaled. "I wish I could do more for Peter."

"Maybe you can. I have some questions."

"I'll answer what I can."

_Monday, October 14_

_9:00am_

"You don't have to sneak up on me every time we meet, you know," Tony called behind him, not looking up. He rolled his chair around to face her.

"Did you know about it?" She ignored his first statement, choosing instead to get to the basics. Nat didn't have much time to hang around… not during the day.

"About him going to the lab? No… no I didn't. I had FRI check up on some things… and," he sighed. "Pete was there friday, too. Why does she want him there?"

"Why do you think? She has to be experimenting! Angela knows that he's Spider-Man, we know that she purposely tested her project on him, on a _child_, so who's to say she isn't testing him now?" Nat was angry, Tony could tell. But so was he.

"We don't know that!" He yelled in desperation.

Natasha backed down a little. "Yes," she said softly. "Yes we do. I know it's hard to accept… but you have to. I'm… I'm sorry."

Tony's mind was racing with endless possibilities. If Peter was there, what were they doing to him? Was he in pain, or scared? He didn't want to let himself think about it. Ignorance is bliss, right? But Peter… Peter needed him. He couldn't stay ignorant if his kid was hurting. He couldn't.

"Peter… he- he's like a kid to me, Nat," Tony said weakly, dropping his head in his hands. "What am I supposed to do?"

"_Get. Up_. Get up and fight for him. He _needs_ you. Right now. Come on, Tony. We need a plan."

"You're right," he said, anger replacing fear and doubt. "Tell me everything you know."

**A/N: Hehehe. Thanks for reading! I love you all, and have an amazing new year!**

**REVIEWS:**

**Belbelanne: Very true! And haha, we'll see what happens to Angela soon…**

**vampgirliegirl: Eeeek. Yes, she kinda is. (whoops)**

**My Hero XIII: Oh my heck, you are so sweet! Thank you! And I completely agree with you, lol. Angela and Mark suck!**

**xSapphirexRosesxFanx: That's actually a really cool idea. I did actually plan for it to be undetectable, but it's not invisible (hence, Tony sees it). Your input is always the best, though! Thanks for reviewing!**

**See you next time!**

**-katilange**


	9. Chapter 9: Bucky Barnes

**A/N: Hiya! You know how I said I wouldn't post again soon? Yeah, I lied. That was before I had a creative surge and wrote 7 pages. Anway, I hope you like this chapter. It's kind of a lot… so beware. (also, in case I don't post again for a while: have a good New Year! 2020 is finally here!)**

**Make sure to leave any comments/suggestions in the reviews below! Enjoy!**

**Warnings: Mild descriptions of torture.**

_Monday, October 14_

_9:00am_

Again, he was told to wear the cotton jumpsuit. Again, she made him run laps until he didn't even want to walk anymore. Again, they brought him to that room… the room that he dreaded, more than anything. _It's just a noise, _he told himself. _You can deal with a noise._

This time, there was a laptop on the table. Angela instructed him, "We need to test your technical skills. This is a stimulation designed to see if you could get past security and access files. The file you are looking for is titled: Faustus. Time is of the essence." With that, she was gone.

Peter opened the laptop, which, chunky and silver, looked really dated.

"First things first," he said to himself. "Password." The first beep sounded, and he really tried to ignore the accompanying shock. After a couple minutes, he had bypassed the security and was inside the laptop. Beep. Shock.

"Each of the files is encrypted… but that shouldn't be too difficult…" He tapped nonstop until the next shock. It didn't deter him for very long, he was too focused. A little square popped up on the screen reading: _5 minutes until file deletion._

"Wow, this simulation is really real," Peter said. "I have to move quickly…" he trailed off. It was sort of awkward to be alone in this room, aware of someone watching and listening to you, but unable to hear anything they say.

Peter chipped away at the code until finally, he sat back, satisfied. "I did it," he said to the emptiness. He had stopped the files from wiping and hacked the encrypted code. "I found Faustus."

Beep. Shock.

Someone banged the door open and came rushing in, grabbing the computer from him. He was a larger man, with an expensive looking suit that was tailored to his broad shoulders. He had black hair that was gelled so immaculately that Peter thought this guy _had _to be important.

"You really did it," the guy breathed, then smiled slowly. He stood up straight, laptop in hand and stared at Peter right in the eye. "Well, Peter. You've done exceptionally well but…" he clicked a button on his watch. Iron-looking shackles sprang from the chair and clamped Peter's wrists and ankles down. "I'm afraid you're going to be extending your stay."

"What? Where's my mom? What happened to Angela?" He pulled at the restraints, but they didn't budge.

"Right here," she said, stepping into the doorway. She was smiling.

"What's going on?" Panic surged in his chest and he struggled more. Beep, shock. This time, he cried out. The shock was more painful than last time, it seemed to run through his entire body, zig-zagging up and down his veins.

The man continued to grin, but it looked sadistic now. "I'm not a huge fan of the whole… 'Monologue my entire plan' thing, so I'll let you figure it out. You're a smart boy, Peter. You'll know soon enough." He turned and left.

Peter looked at Angela pleadingly, tears pricking his eyes. "Angela? Mom?"

She didn't blink. "You know what is best. What is best is that you comply. Compliance is rewarded." Angela smiled wider. "I'll see you when you comply, Peter."

She joined Mark in the hall, the door silencing Peter's soft crying.

"I can't believe he did that," Angela nodded at the small computer. "HYDRA's database is supposed to be impenetrable."

"It's also supposed to be gone," he replied. "Nothing's impossible. Now, to business. Have the ten-team knock him out and transport him to Lab Zero. We'll begin as soon as he wakes up."

Mark couldn't help the shiver of excitement that crawled up his spine. Faustus. Finally. They had been looking for this going on 10 years now. Before, it was just a rumor. Just a ghost. But now… now he held the secret to success in his hand.

"To Zero."

_Monday, October 14_

_12:01pm_

Peter's eyelids felt heavy, and his mind was blurred. He strained to remember why-

"Angela," he said, sitting up with a start. He recalled her face… she was smiling at him. She smiled when they shocked him. She _smiled_... _Tony was right, _he thought miserably.

Taking in his surroundings, Peter noticed that he was once again bound with iron. Or, maybe it wasn't iron. He could usually break iron… but this. This was stronger. His arms and legs were strapped against a cool silver table that was tilted at an angle. If he wasn't bound, he would slide off of it.

"Disambiguation," a voice said, scaring him. "The unproven science. More commonly known as… brainwashing." Peter shivered. He recognized the voice… it was that man. The man in the room. It was coming from a speaker in the corner of the room.

"Who are you?" He yelled at it, trying to summon some Spider-Man courage. "What do you want with me?"

"Did you know that the CIA conducts research on disambiguation? Well, they did. Back in the 70's. Allegedly, they didn't find anything, and all records were destroyed. All participants in those experiments claim to not remember any details. Not a soul."

"Why are you doing this?" Peter fought against the restraints, but was again ignored.

"No matter where I dug, no matter who I hired… I couldn't seem to find those reports. So, we had to start from scratch. Turn to less… _ethical_ means."

A group of people entered the room. They wore all white and held various tools in their hands. They bustled around him, poking and prodding. One person drew blood, another attached an IV to Peter's arm.

"What are you doing?" He attempted to talk to the workers, but they ignored him. Just like the man who was speaking.

"There was a rumor once… among the agents of SHIELD. A rumor of a soldier, wiped clean and reprogrammed to do HYDRA's dirty work. The Winter Soldier, they called him. You might remember him… metal arm and all."

_Bucky. He was in Germany… but he didn't seem to be under control then…_

"Somehow, they managed to say 10 words and bam. Just like that. 'Ready to comply'." The man adopted a gruff imitation. "While we failed to find exactly _what_ they did to Mr. Barnes, we did find another effective alternative. Faustus."

A worker leaned over Peter and held his eyes open, placing something around them. When the man leaned away, Peter couldn't blink. He couldn't shut his eyes. Fear and panic filled his every thought. _I can't close my eyes. I can't close my eyes._

"You're very lucky, Mr. Parker," the voice said. "You are officially the ninth person to undergo Faustus. Unfortunately, this method takes hours of time. But don't worry… we have plenty." The last syllable echoed around him.

A woman pressed his head down flat onto the table and activated a strap to keep it immobile. She grimaced when she saw him and dropped down near his ear.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, almost inaudibly. "You're just a kid... b-but… they have my brother-"

"It's ok," he responded and managed a weak smile. "I'll be ok… now go before you get in trouble."

She backed away, eyes watery. Then, she was gone. His own eyes were burning at the strain of being exposed, but he knew it would get worse. This was only the beginning.

_Monday, October 14_

_7:00pm_

"No! We can't yet!" Nat was pacing back and forth in front of Bucky, her phone pressed to her cheek. "I'm telling you, we need _proof_. If we just bust in there with nothing? It could get a _whole_ lot worse."

Tony gave a grunt of anger. "Then what am I supposed to do? Just sit here all day while my kid gets _experimented_ on?"

"No! We need to find evidence. Got it? Stone-cold proof. You need to-" something crashed against the metal door of the abandoned warehouse. Bucky grabbed his gun and stood, aiming toward the disturbance.

"Listen, Tony, we've got a situation. I have to go. I'll call you when I can. Find. Proof." She flipped the phone closed and drew her guns, standing next to Bucky.

"Wait to see what it is, then we can bail if we need to," she whispered. Another crash. The door groaned in protest.

With another bang, it came flying off its hinges, clattering in front of their feet and sending a puff of dirt in the air. Two strands of web shot from the dust and grabbed Nat's guns, sending them flying to the side.

"Don't shoot, Bucky! I think it's-"

A dark figure shot from the door and swiped at her feet. The person was dressed in a bulky black suit and had a mask that covered the lower half of his face. His hair was brown and curly, just like Peters. Ignoring the confusion and riding on pure instinct, she fought him. They were relatively well-matched until he caught her off guard and sent a fist into the side of her head.

Her vision swam, but she called, "Buck, don't hurt him yet. We need to know if it's the kid."

The person had swung up onto the rafters and was pointing a gun at both of their heads. Bucky's weapon was aimed right back at him.

"Drop it," the person said. He gestured with the gun pointed at Nat. "Or I shoot."

_It sounds sort of like Peter. But why is he doing this? How did he find us?_

Bucky lowered his gun and tossed it aside.

"Peter," Nat said carefully, moving from the ground to her knees, "Is that you?"

He squinted at her, and his arm shook a little, then steadied. "Natasha Romanoff and James Barnes, you are under arrest for violation of the Sokovia Accords. If you do not resist, it will be easy. Compliance will be rewarded."

Bucky flinched. "Faustus," he whispered, a mix of anger and horror crossing his dark eyes.

"What?" Nat had no knowledge of the word.

"Listen, kid. I know what they did to you! I know you're in there somewhere, Peter. The real you," Bucky pointed to his head. "They did something to me, too."

Peter squinted again. "N-Natasha Romanoff and James Barnes, you are under arrest for violation of the Sokovia Accords. If you do not resist, it will be easy. Compliance will be rewarded," he repeated. This time, he sounded less sure.

"Fight it, Peter! Fight it!" Nat had picked up some clues and began to yell too. "Remember Tony? May? Your friends? Fight it for them!"

His arms were shaking hard now, and the guns dropped. "I-"

A loud ringing noise sounded. It looked like it was coming from a thick silver bracelet on Peter's arm. He clamped his hands to his ears and stumbled around. "No! Help… me," he made direct eye contact with Nat, and then shook his head. "No! I'm ready to comply, please!" He yelled in pain as the sound grew louder.

Peter unclipped a small object from his side and threw it at Bucky and Nat, before swinging out a broken window, one ear covered. The object popped and released smoke, just as ten soldiers marched into the warehouse, guns raised.

"Natasha Romanoff! James Barnes! You're under arrest! Any resistance will be met without mercy." The man's threat fell on deaf ears, or rather, no ears. The small smoke grenade had given them enough cover to sneak past and use one of their emergency exits.

They were halfway across the city by the time the dust cleared.

_Monday, October 14_

_8:07pm_

Tony paced furiously. FRIDAY was still running some searches, so he had to wait. It was unbearable, nothing to do or think about but Peter. He hadn't shown up for the internship today… which means he was still at that awful place. May had been calling him all day, but he couldn't bring himself to answer. He couldn't let her know that he had failed the kid… So Tony had FRIDAY send her an automated text.

Someone came busting into the lab, bringing him out of his thoughts. It was Nat, and behind her… Bucky. She brought Bucky.

"What is-" he started.

She stopped him. "We don't have time for this right now. It's Peter, he-"

Tony grabbed her shoulders. "Is he okay? Did you find something?"

Nat pulled away from him. "Tony… it's… I- I don't know how to tell you… this."

Cold dread settled in the bottom of his stomach. "W-what?"

She looked at Bucky. "We saw him today…" Somehow that made Tony feel worse instead of better. "He wasn't… they did something to him, Tony. Messed with his mind… Buck says it's called Faustus. He found us, at the warehouse we were hiding in… he was trying to arrest us… held us at gunpoint... it didn't seem like Peter."

"No. No… they couldn't… it's not…" It was Nat's turn to grab his shoulders. She led him to a chair, and he collapsed in it. His hands started to shake. "Wh-what does this mean? What did they do to him? What… what did they…" A thousand thoughts were racing in his mind. A thousand ideas… and questions. He looked at Bucky expectantly.

Bucky shook his head sadly. "You don't want to know."

"Yes," he growled. "Yes I do. I have to know. Peter… I _have_ to know."

The soldier sighed and began. "Faustus… it's a little different than what they did to me. More… efficient. And faster. Th-they, uh. They keep the subjects eyes open and use… they use electricity to, uh… To force compliance. They associate sounds, or in my case, words, to the pain and fear. If a certain sound or sequence of sounds was repeated to the person… it would trigger the effects of the, um, experiments." His eyes were dark and pained as he told them. "I'm… so sorry."

The silent realization was deafening. Tony expected to feel angry, or scared, or _something_… but he just felt numb. Numbness and crushing guilt. He could have done more… he _should _have done more. Every time Peter was quiet about his home, every time he came to the internship with bandages or bruises, every time he flinched when someone touched him… but now. It was too late now. Feeling came crashing back over him in waves, bringing hopelessness. Tony couldn't do anything but sit there and stare at the wall, unable to move.

Nat's phone rang, and she cringed. Tony didn't seem to notice when she answered and walked away, Bucky following. It was Steve.

"Nat? Are you ok? Is Bucky-"

"We're fine," she said. She had a hard time even believing her own voice. Nat didn't feel fine… she felt guilty.

"You need to get of New York, it's not safe there anymore. We can rendezvous in-"

"No. I can't leave yet." Bucky nodded at her, an earnest look on his face. "_We_ can't leave yet. We can still help Tony and… and Peter." She glanced at Stark, who was still staring blankly at the wall.

"Peter? Who's Peter? What's going on?" Steve had taken on his 'Captain America' voice.

"A kid. Stark's kid. He's in trouble and we can help. We're going to do something."

"Wait, Tony has a kid?" He was back to his 'Rogers' tone.

She exhaled impatiently. "No. It's complicated. The point is, we aren't leaving. Not yet, anyway."

Steve paused. "Alright, Natasha. If that's what you feel is best. Take care of yourselves. And… tell Stark I… I'm sorry."

Nat lowered her voice. "He doesn't want to hear from you. Not now."

"Please just-"

"Trust me, Steve. Not. Now. I'll call you when we leave the city." She hung up, shot a small smile at Bucky, and walked back over to Tony.

He looked at her, pain and shock clouding his dark brown eyes. "It's too late, isn't it? Tell me it's not too late."

"No," she said, pulling a device from her pocket. While they were fighting, Nat succeeded in placing a bug on Peter's shoulder. Now, she held the GPS in her hands. "It's not."

_Monday, October 14_

_6:00pm_

May chewed on her fingernails nervously. 18 calls, 10 messages and all she got was a non-committal text message that said, "Mr. Stark will be with you shortly".

"What's going on, Peter?" She whispered to herself.

A knock brought her out of her mind. May went to the door and was surprised to see Ned and MJ standing on the doormat. She had only met them once before, when Peter brought them over for tea.

"Do you know where Peter is?" MJ asked, her face urgent. Ned nodded eagerly.

May didn't want to tell them. She didn't want them to know that she was as confused and scared as they were. They looked so hopeful… May didn't want to be the one to ruin that. But, if she didn't, who would?

"You kids better come in," she offered, opening the door to let them in. Once they had entered and taken off their shoes, May asked, "Tea? Water?"

"Water's fine," MJ said, answering for the two of them.

They finally settled, a glass in each of their hands. May took a deep breath.

"Did you two know about Peter's life at home?"

MJ nodded. "I had my suspicions."

"Me too," Ned said, surprising his friend. "But he didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't ask."

"Well, I saw Angela this morning… she was taking him to work with her. Something didn't sit right with me, so I called Mr. Stark. He sure was in a hurry to get off the phone once he heard… I wanted to know if something was wrong, but neither him or Peter are answering their phones. I called in sick at work and… and I've been waiting all day…"

MJ was quietly shaking her head.

Ned was the first to break the silence. "But, can't we do something? I mean-" MJ's phone rang loudly, interrupting him. She looked at him and shrugged, answering anyway.

"Yeah?" A pause. "Who else would it be?" Someone spoke to her briefly. "What's going on? Is Peter- yeah. Uh huh." Her eyes were lit with a flame. She was determined. "You can bet your- no. I'm with Ned and May." MJ looked at him, then at May. "No, I don't think so… I don't care!" She rolled her eyes. "Yes, they can help." MJ's eyes suddenly widened with shock, and she raised a hand to her mouth. "No… really? Oh my…" Another long pause. "Yeah, we're just at her apartment. Ok… see you soon, I guess..." She hung up.

"What's going on?" May asked, setting her cup on the coffee table and leaning forward.

MJ's voice came out small and shaky. "It's Peter… Mr. Stark says he's been kidnapped by RayTech."

**A/N:**

**REVIEWS:**

**vampgirliegirl: haha, you're sweet. :) **

**holyghostofsteve: Very true. lol **

**Belbelanne: Yes, I hope you have a good New Year as well! As for Angela and Mark, I completely agree XD**

**Bonzenz: Good question! The short answer is not really. I really wanted May in the story, but it didn't make sense for her to be technically Peter's aunt. (but who knows? They could be related ;] )**

**MpeachlinS: Thank you :) I appreciate your sweet review. **

**See you all next time!**

**-katilange**


	10. Chapter 10: Jail Cell

**A/N: Hiya! This chapter is kind of weird… I wrote Peter's perspective really different then what I have done before, so if it's confusing, that's why. He's supposed to also be confused.**

**Thank you so much for all the follows/favorites and reviews! I love reading your input and thoughts. Seriously, it makes my day. **

**Anyway, I'll stop talking and let you read. Make sure to leave any comments/suggestions in the reviews and enjoy today's chapter!**

**Warnings: Mild descriptions of blood, death, and guns.**

_October 4, 2011_

_12:30am_

"_If you don't give me that formula, I'll-"_

"_You'll what? Kill Richard? Kill Peter? Then I'm less inclined to give you anything!" Mary spat at his feet. "If I did have it, I would never tell scum like you."_

_Angela cringed. She shouldn't have said that. Mark had a quick temper…_

_The gunshot came suddenly, and if you blinked you might have missed it. You might have missed Mary choking for her last breath or Angela yelping in shock. Her friend… her friend… she didn't think they would kill her… her friend…_

_A flood of memories washed over Angela as she watched blood ooze from Mary's still form. They played together in the backyard… Mary handed her tissues and said "I never liked him anyway" during Angela's first break-up… college parties and late-night study sessions… Mary waved at the airport when she left for boot camp… their quick and clipped embrace when she returned, scarred and angry… Mary asked her to be the maid of honor, despite their growing distance… Peter being born… her best friend. He killed her best friend… _

_This was it, she decided. There was no going back now. Mary was gone… dead. She wasn't ever returning. They had to get the formula… or she would've killed her best friend for no reason. No reason…_

"_Angela," Mark said, pushing back sweaty hair from his forehead. "Get rid of the body. I have a drop spot in West Queens. They won't find her for another couple hours at least."_

"_But, sir, I-"_

_He glared at her, fingers tightening around the gun. "Would you like to join her?"_

_Angela wished she was braver… but Mary was the brave one. She was the one that stood up to Mark and presented her own opinions and ideas… she was the one who died for it. Despite her initial sadness, Angela could not pretend she didn't want that research… that she didn't want the power, and most of all, she couldn't pretend that she didn't want to live._

_Pursing her lips and gritting her teeth, she walked over to the body. Everything has changed. She has changed._

_Monday, October 14_

_7:15pm_

"Jails are not actually how they are portrayed in movies. In the movies, you have a singular cell with rusty iron bars and a metal toilet in the corner. In the movies, you're alone to stare dramatically out the tiny window at the life you've chosen to leave behind. In the movies, there's a group of mean guys that go around in a circle saying who they've killed or what they robbed.

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but it isn't like that.

"Jail is really a 6x8ft room that crams you and your prison buddies in a three-person bunk bed. Yes, there's a silver toilet in the corner, but it is only used when needed, as it makes the whole place smell terrible. Jail doesn't have a tiny window to stare dramatically out of, it has a relatively large, dingy plexiglass window for gloomy sunlight to filter in. And, right again, there are groups of mean-looking guys, but they don't share stories with everybody. They're just mean."

Peter was thinking all of this because in his "Real World" project for history, this was the intro paragraph. He remembered vaguely that the project was due soon. The reason it came to his attention at this particular moment was because he felt like he was in Movie Prison, as it was described in the first couple sentences.

It was dark, and he was alone.

Even though he could see and feel that his body was moving and fighting and talking… there wasn't any sort of control. Peter was just a helpless spectator, bound by fear and pain and forced to stare dramatically out of a small window.

Then, there was a voice… a voice that he recognized… a voice that broke through the outer shell of armor. It was female…

She said, "Fight it, Peter! Fight it! Remember Tony? May? Your friends? Fight it for them!"

_Tony… May… my friends. _It all sounded so far away, and he didn't want to fight anymore. He didn't want to because he knew what it would bring… it would bring pain and suffering and hours of torture. _Tony… May… my friends. _He hadn't asked MJ out yet… he hadn't built the Lego Death Star with Ned… he hadn't told May or-or Tony what they meant to him...

_Fight it. Fight it. Fight it._

Everything rushed back to him. He pushed away whatever force was holding him and dropped the guns that he hadn't realized were in his hands. Wait- that was Natasha! Black Widow was here! And Bucky… she had brought Bucky! They could help him, he was sure they could help him.

"I-" _Bang_. It wasn't a bang, really, but it was comparable to one in Peter's ears. He could feel it slipping. Desperately he yelled to her, "No! Help...me…" But it was too late The control he had just gained was ripped away when the noise grew louder. It was deafening and final, flowing over him until he was shoved back in the cell. Alone.

Peter knew he was at the lab again… that's where he'd been all day, and that's probably where he would be for awhile. At one point, he recalled feeling hope. Hope that Mr. Stark would come for him… hope that Angela would stop them. But neither of them ever did.

One thing that never changed as he sat in his prison, was the feeling. He could still feel the sensations that any normal person could, which unfortunately included pain. They reprimanded him for disobedience. He had broken from compliance… and since compliance was rewarded, the opposite was punished.

When they were done, the cell Peter was stuck in was smaller. He could feel his normal thoughts and emotions sliding through the iron bars, far from his reach.

For a moment he pounded weakly on the metal, desperate for his own mind back. But, they did not yield. Peter fell onto his back, staring blankly at the darkness surrounding him. Everything has changed. He has changed.

No one would come for him.

_Monday, October 14_

_9:00pm_

"Thank you for coming," Pepper said, leading May, MJ, and Ned inside the tower and up to the penthouse. "Can I get you anything? Food? Water?"

"No, thank you," MJ responded. "Not really hungry." She was wringing her hands in front of her.

"Me either," Ned said. May remained quiet, offering the silence as her answer.

The elevator ride would have been awkward if they weren't all so worried.

Mr. Stark was a mess. His suit jacket was wrinkled, and his hair was mussed and sweaty; it stuck up at odd angles. There were worry lines around his eyes and mouth… he looked so much older. When Tony saw them, he straightened up and tried to smile. It came out more like a grimace.

"Tony," May said softly.

He approached her, shame evident on his worn face. "I'm so sorry, May. I should have done-"

She interrupted him by grabbing his shoulders and giving him a short hug. "We all should have," she whispered, pulling away. "Now let's fix it."

He nodded grimly and swallowed. "Right. But, uh… first things first… there are some things you need to know about Peter."

When Tony told them that Peter was Spider-Man, Ned looked like he was going to explode with excitement, but somehow managed to sit still. As he shakily informed them of HYDRA and RayTech, MJ clutched May's hands tightly. He finished with retelling Nat and Bucky's encounter. They stood to his side, unspeaking, with solemn expressions.

"So," MJ said quietly when he was finished. "What do you need us for?"

Natasha stepped forward. "When we saw him, he wasn't all the way gone. Peter was still in there, somewhere. I talked to him about you guys, told him to fight. They don't have complete control yet… so that means we're not too late." She pulled a small device from her pocket. "I've bugged him with a device that records 24/7. If we can get proof that they are… using HYDRA's techniques, we have liable, and legal, cause to storm the place and arrest that slimeball Mark Raylen.

"We need you guys there to help us reach him… he won't listen to me or Bucky, and Tony can't do it alone. We can protect you, don't worry; all you have to do is stay behind us, and talk to him. Do you think you can do that?"

"Of course!" Ned stood. "He's our best friend!

MJ joined him. "We can't lose him. Not after all we've been through together."

May nodded in agreement. "I'll do what I can… for Peter."

_Wednesday, July 18 2012_

_10:00pm_

"_Peter? This is _for _Peter!" Angela's voice had taken on a shrill undertone and was beginning to sound like a shriek._

"_That's not true, and you know it! You just wanted him for your stupid project! Mary warned me about you… I should have listened." Richard shoved his jacket into a back, gathering some things from the table as well._

"_I love Peter, I promise I do!" She grabbed his bag. He stopped and glared at her for a moment, tearing the object back into his own hands. _

"_That isn't love," he snarled. "He's just a child. An innocent child. We're going to my brother's house."_

"_Richard please-"_

"_No, Angela! If I had any idea what was going on, I would've left a long time ago! We're done. This is the last straw. I'm taking Peter and I'm-" _

Crash_. A stocky man with a knit ski mask burst into the room, pointing a small gun at Richard's head. "Gimme all your cash and I won't shoot you where you stand!'_

_Attempting to negotiate, Richard raised his hands and began to speak. "Listen, buddy, you don't have to-"_

"_Do it," Angela confirmed. Her husband's final expression was aimed at her, just like the short barrell was aimed at him.. It was a mixture of fear, disappointment, and contempt. The shot knocked him backward onto the hardwood, and if he wasn't already dead, it would've hurt. Angela avoided looking at the body._

_The man, Carlo, ripped off his mask and tucked the gun in his belt. "Okay, I killed the guy, now pay up."_

_Angela handed him a stack of bills. "Job well done. Now, get out of here and tell _no one_. I have to call the cops." She smirked. "My husband's just been shot."_

_To her annoyance, the idiot dropped his mask and ran out the door, riffling through his cash. She groaned and picked it up, running into Peter's room to call 911. It would be difficult to act 'in shock', but so was pretending to love someone for almost a year. _

_Grabbing a surprised Peter, she dragged him into the closet. Angela called the police quickly, then texted Mark._

_Angela (10:17pm): It's done. Gave the guy 3k to keep quiet._

_Mark (10:18pm): Good. And the child?_

_Angela (10:18pm): Project Sinoper can finally begin._

_Wednesday, October 14_

_11:58pm_

Sinoper's gloved hand shook. _Sinoper_, Peter thought. _That's what they call me now. As if they haven't already taken enough… they steal my identity. _Not like he could do anything about it… he was forced to watch as Sinoper (_or myself, I guess_) raise the gun higher. It was smooth and cold beneath his fingers. _That_ he could feel.

A realization occurred to Peter as he watched from his cell. This was a dangerous object; he could kill something or someone with one twitch of a muscle. One movement, and another person's world could go crashing down. Just like his did when someone pulled the trigger on his mom and dad. The Sinoper part of his mind marveled at the power he held at arm's length.

Peter reprimanded himself. He and "Sinoper" were the same person; there was no… split personality. But, this was the first time he had felt like two different people… No. He was just Peter. Just Peter… and yet… If he was only Peter, then why couldn't he do anything? Why was he condemned to sitting here? Why was he powerless to his own hands? He wondered if Bucky considered the Winter Soldier a separate person.

Peter thought, "Don't shoot" at the same time as he thought "Do it". _That was weird. You shouldn't be able to think two different things at once, right?_

His hand continued to shake, the confliction of motivations preventing the finger from pulling.

"I need to do it," Sinoper (_me… it's me_) said out loud.

"No… no. I don't want to," Peter replied. Was he talking to himself?

"Sit back, Parker. You're not the driver anymore." That could _not_ have been Peter. He wouldn't say that to himself. Or maybe he would… I mean, obviously he did. So yes, he _would_ say that to himself. No, he would say that. Not to himself… this couldn't be happening.

"We're the same. We're the same. I'm not killing anything, and neither are you, because we are _the same person._"

"Not anymore," the words came from his mouth. _His_ mouth.

Peter lost consciousness, succumbing to the black that was already surrounding him.

**A/N: Just a note: I'm not trying to write Peter with Split Personality Disorder, but rather he is like Bucky. Meaning, most of the time he doesn't remember his time as the Winter Soldier. **

**REVIEWS:**

**Thebookworm33: You're too kind! I hope you liked this chapter. :)**

**vampgirliegirl: I'm on it! Thank you.**

**xSapphirexRosesxFanx: I know! Sorry Pete… **

**Belbelanne: I personally would love to write a scene where Bucky and Nat beat the crap out of Angela and Mark, but I guess I'll have to see how the story plays out. I make outlines and stuff, but I always end up re-writing everything, haha. I hope future chapters don't disappoint! Always fun to hear from you :)**

**Hawkeyes Gal: I hope I'm not too bad of a person for being so mean to Peter XD. But, don't worry, he'll get justice. **

**MpeachlinS: Me too! **

**UntamableWyldeRaptor: Sorry! (well, maybe not. :D) **

**My Hero XIII: This made me laugh XD Thanks for reviewing!**

**See you next time!**

**-katilange**


	11. Chapter 11: Dreaming of You

**A/N: Hey everyone! A few things: I started another story! It's called Somewhere in Queens (I know, I like to write about Peter Parker, I get it), and if you want to check it out, go ahead! I'm still going to continue this story, so uploads will be farther apart. I want to keep at least two chapters per story in a month, but I'm aiming for three or four chapters per story. **

**Anyways, I hope you like the chapter, and make sure to leave any comments/suggestions in the reviews below!**

**Warnings: Mild mentions of guns.**

Tuesday, October 15

12:01am

"Anything?" Rhodey, who had just arrived, asked from behind the red-head. They had called him shortly before May arrived at the tower, informing him of the situation. At this point, they wanted as much help as they could get.

Nat frowned. "Not yet. We'll get those skunks… we just have to be patient."

She adjusted the headphone to her other ear, tapping a pen on the laptop. She jumped a little when Peter started to talk.

"Bucky," she called over to him. "Come listen to this."

He shifted from his chair and approached silently.

The kid was grunting with effort now. "Sit back, Parker. You're not the driver anymore," he said. Then, "We're the same. We're the same. I'm not killing anything, and neither are you, because we are _the same person._" Nat and Bucky shared a look. "Not anymore," he stated. There was a gunshot. The only noise now was the soft crackle of the recording device.

"Was he..." she started, removing the headphones.

"Talking to himself?" Bucky finished. Empathy painted his strong features. "That isn't a good sign… we don't have much time."

"Don't worry about that. I think I have something," Tony said, walking into the room. He spoke quietly; May, MJ, and Ned were all asleep on the couch. MJ's curly brown hair was spilled into May's lap, and her feet were curled up to her chest. It didn't look very comfortable.

Tony held up a fist triumphantly. "No one can erase what they've done online. And lucky for us, Raylen has a trail. We just have to find it."

"Alright. Nat can dig up some dirt, and I'll keep listening here. You," Rhodey nodded at May. "Get some sleep. You look terrible."

"Thanks," Tony said dryly. "But I can't just… fall asleep. Knowing that I- that he-"

"Tones. It's ok. The best thing you can do is not look like crap when we go rescue the kid. You got me?"

He sighed in resignation. "Fine… but the second you hear something-"

"Don't worry, we'll tell you," said Nat. She was already typing furiously on the holo-computer.

Now that he thought about it, Tony did feel like he could collapse at any moment. It couldn't hurt to take a quick nap. Nat and Rhodey would handle it.

He made his way over to the couch opposite the napping trio. Tony was asleep the second his head hit the pillow, exhaustion not allowing the guilt to creep in.

"_Mr. Stark," Peter protested. "You can't just-"_

"_Actually, I can, kid. I'm Iron Man." Tony smiled from behind the face plate. "And I am going to fly to Queens and get take-out for us. From your favorite Thai place. That's final."_

"_At least let me-"_

"_Ah! No! I'm doing it! There's nothing you can do to stop me!" Tony blasted off. "I'll be back in a few-"_

"_Mr. Stark, wait! The-"_

_THUNK._

_Tony's metal head whacked against Dum-E, and he fell onto his back. The little robot beeped loudly, waving its arm up and down in distress,. Peter ran over and knelt next to his mentor, trying to keep a straight face. _

"_Are you ok? Mr. Stark?"_

_Tony removed the helmet and rested his head on the floor. "That. Was _so _embarrassing."_

_The kid started laughing so hard that tears formed in his eyes. "I think you mean that was hilarious!"_

"_Alright, I get it!" He climbed to his feet, but Peter was still shaking with laughter. _

"_Oh man! When you," he gasped in between chuckles. "I will never get that image out of head!"_

"_Okay, okay!" Tony huffed playfully._

_The teen sat up with a sudden realization. "FRIDAY?" He called. "_Please _tell me you have security footage of that."_

"_Yes, Mr. Parker. Would you like me to replay it for you?" _

_He shouted "Yes!" at the same time Tony said, "Absolutely not!"_

_A blue hologram image came onto the screen, displaying the past five minutes. And with that, Peter was gone, lost in shouts of laughter._

_Peter was gone._

_He was gone._

"Peter!" Tony shot up from the couch, his hand stretched out in front of him. His two friends stared at him, alerted by his outburst. MJ stirred, but did not wake up. Bucky looked up from behind the computer, his dark eyebrows set it concern. _Concern? Why does he care?_ Rhodey came over and pulled his friend up.

"What's wrong, man?"

"It's… it's nothing, just a nightmare. Did you guys find anything?"

"I'm… almost… there," Nat whispered, tapping even faster. Her face was scrunched in concentration.

"Wait, I'm getting something," Bucky said, touching his headphones.

_Tuesday, October 15_

_1:03am _

Sinoper stood very still as the woman, Sydnie, dresses a cut on his arm. She glanced up into his face.

"Do you remember me?" She whispered, very quietly.

His eyes narrowed. "No."

"We talked," Sydnie continued, almost inaudibly, and tried to look like she wasn't talking. There were cameras everywhere… she could get into a lot of trouble for this. "I told you about my brother. You… you forgave me. You said it was ok, when it wasn't. Remember that?"

He put a hand to his head, grunting. "No, Parker," he growled. "Not… now…"

She patted his arm. "Is that you? The real you?"

Peter nodded very slowly. "I-Im sorry. It's… hard to keep… to keep it out." Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"What's your name," she inquired, still very softly. "They only told me Sinoper."

"Peter," he muttered back, jaw clenched. "Parker. A-and… you?"

_Parker,_ she thought. _That's Angela's last name… are they related? How could she do this to him?_

"Sydnie Marckle." She was quiet for a moment. "Listen, I can help you. There's a bug on your back, just under the armor. Someone put it there; they could be listening. Do you know anyone that would have placed it on you?"

"I… maybe… Natasha," Peter said, eyes shut tightly.

Sydnie paused and then turned to a camera in the corner of the room. She gestured to the kid and said, "I think the subject may have injuries to the back. Permission to proceed?"

"Granted," a grumpy voice responded.

She moved behind him, blocking the camera lens with her head. Sydnie leaned down and looked into the tiny black device.

"Natasha," she breathed. "My name is Sydnie Marckle. Peter's here with me, but we don't have much time." She busied her hands with cleaning his fake wounds. "Mark Raylen is controlling him with illegal HYDRA techniques, along with Angela Parker."

"Sydnie," Peter grunted. "He-he's coming… back…"

"Hurry," she said more urgently. "He can't hold out much longer. I'll be waiting for you-"

"Doctor," Sinoper said coolly. "It doesn't hurt there."

"Well then." Sydnie stepped back and gave a forced smile. "I guess you no longer need me."

"_I guess you no longer need me._" The female voice, Sydnie as they heard, was quiet. Tony could only hear breathing. If it was his own or Peter's, he couldn't tell.

_Tuesday, October 15_

_12:03am_

MJ rested her head on May's lap, enjoying the few seconds of comfort. Tony and his friends were talking, but they faded into the background. She was surprised to feel nothing. Or rather, she didn't know what to feel. Her brain craved something normal… something that wasn't like this. She wanted it to go back to the way it was before. MJ felt a stab of guilt. No she didn't. _That was selfish_. Because he wasn't happy before.

Somehow, she drifted into a fitful sleep.

_MJ was on her back, staring up into a brilliant blue sky. _Am I on a cloud? _She looked down, and sure enough, soft tufts of white cradled her. She couldn't help but remembering that clouds weren't actually like this. In fact, they were probably wet. Ignoring the science part of her brain, she turned her mind to Peter._

"_What am I going to do?" She wondered out loud, speaking her thoughts to no one but the empty air._

"_May I offer some advice?" A female voice said. Normally, MJ would have been startled, but she felt an overwhelming sense of nothing. She sat up to find a beautiful woman sitting cross-legged in front of her. She had long, wavy brown hair and a smile that was kind and knowing. A faint smell of strawberries drifted through the air, delighting MJ's senses._

"_Who are you? You look really familiar. Have we met?"_

_The woman laughed. It was a sound that sparkled around them, making MJ want to laugh as well. "No, we haven't met. My name is Mary Parker… I'm Peter's mom."_

_Again, the nothingness stopped her from being too alarmed. "Is this… real?"_

"_Technically, yes. Although, the clouds are a bit much."_

_It was MJ's turn to chuckle. She folded her legs underneath her and gazed into Mary's eyes. They were the exact same color as Peter's. Her hair was wavy like his, too. They looked so alike. MJ did not realize she was crying until it happened._

_Quickly, the older woman moved beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry. It's going to be ok. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow. But some day."_

"_How could you leave him?" MJ said as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. "He needs you…"_

_Mary sighed. "I know. I shouldn't have left that night… I should have taken Peter and Richard and gotten out of Queens… but… Our family doesn't run from things. And besides, if we left, he wouldn't have met you." She tilted the teen's head to face her. "I can't be there for him anymore. But you can." She offered a gentle smile._

"_I don't know how. What if I screw it up? What if we lose him…"_

_Mary looked up. "I never meant to leave, Michelle. MJ. I didn't even… I didn't even have the chance to save him. I failed as a mother. But you," she looked bittersweet. "You can be there. I know that if you are with him…" she took MJ's hands in her own. "Peter will be just fine."_

_They sat in silence for a few seconds before the curly haired teen's curiosity got the better of her. "Can I… ask you something?"_

"_Of course."_

"_How- how did you die?"_

"_It's actually a long story," Mary responded, laughing without humour. "I think it started with Angela. We were best friends since childhood… but when she came back from Afghanistan…" she gazed at her lap, lost in thought. "Everything was different. It's my fault for not noticing, but I suppose I can't change that now._

"_When I discovered a formula that could enhance the abilities of a human, that's when I knew I had lost her. I lost her to our work, but something was more important than that. I had Peter. He was my life, MJ. My Inspiration." Mary smiled fondly. "I felt with all my heart: I have to protect him. So I pulled from the experiments, and burned my research. The night they caught me is the last night I saw him."_

_For the first time in their conversation, tears shone in her lovely brown eyes. MJ squeezed her hand. "They tried to get it from me for a couple of weeks… but I didn't tell them. I couldn't. How could let them create a world that was more dangerous when I had a child! One night, I spat in his face, and that's the last thing I remember from life. I'm pretty sure he shot me."_

"_Was Angela there?" MJ asked softly. _

_Mary nodded. "She was. Right behind Raylen."_

_The sun in this strange world was beginning to set, and bright reds streaked across the sky._

"_We don't have much time. Is there anything else?"_

_The sunset had turned their faces pink. "Yeah… What do I say to him? When I get there?"_

_MJ felt that she was drifting slowly downwards, through the cloud. Mary didn't seem to be affected by the same force. She beamed sadly as their fingers slipped apart._

"_You'll know. I promise." Right before MJ dropped away, Mary said, "I'm glad we met. Peter's told me all about you."_

She awoke to Tony's voice. "We have something. Oh, my-"

"What? What do we have?" MJ demanded, suddenly very awake. The group appeared startled by her.

"You, uh. You're up," the mechanic stated.

Both her and Nat shot him an _Oh really? _look.

"Are we going to go get Peter?" May questioned groggily, rubbing her eyes. She shook Ned, and he groaned.

"LIsten, Mr. Stark," MJ said, marching over to him. "I just had a dream… and it was important. I need to be with you when you get him. So listen, if you don't tell me what's going on right now, I'll go to RayTech myself." The fire in her eyes was lit.

He put his hands up. "I wasn't going to keep anything from you." She glared at him. "Well, you were asleep, and I didn't want to wake you!" Tony defended. That earned another stink eye. "Ok, I'm sorry! But can we please focus?"

MJ nodded. "What happened?"

"Peter has some help from the inside," Nat said. "She just told us that Mark and Angela were performing HYDRA techniques."

Bucky added, "This is it. We can save him."

_Tuesday, October 15_

_1:46am_

Sinoper ran his fingers across his back, searching. He could have sworn that redhead… _Bingo. _He ripped the device from off of his shoulders and smashed it in between his fingers.

"They know," he stated. "They're coming for us."

**A/N: Ahahaha the next couple chapters are going to be intense! I'm so excited!**

**REVIEWS:**

**skydancer121: Thank you! And it was a coincidence lol, although your review kind of sparked my "I need to post" fire.**

**DarylDixon'sLover: Thanks! :D**

**Thebookworm33: You're too kind! I appreciate your support ;)**

**holyghostofsteve: Wow, I'm impressed you noticed! I did change it because I hated the other one, but I could never figure out how to fix it. That is, until now. **

**xSapphirexRosesxFanx: Yes! Hehehe I guess we'll have to see :)**

**Belbelanne: That was kind of my goal! I really wanted Bucky to be a part of Peter's rescue/recovery! I also really wanted to write him in because I LOVE Bucky. :D**

**vampgirliegirl: I will!**

**wolfimus prime: YES! :D**

**See you all next time,**

**-katilange**


	12. Chapter 12: Sinoper

**A/N: Hi again! Sorry it's been a little while! I've been busy with school and some other stories. Speaking of which, I wrote a little one-shot called He's With the Stars over the weekend, and if you guys went and checked it out, that would be awesome! Obviously, you don't have to, it's just a suggestion. :D**

**Anyway, I'll let you get to it! Enjoy today's chapter and make sure to leave any comments/suggestions in the reviews below!**

_Tuesday, October 15_

_2:00 am_

Tony's heart pounded in his throat, limiting his breath. His hands were shaking so bad that Nat and Rhodey were looking at him with strange expressions. He swallowed, gripped the steering wheel tighter, and tried to focus. _I'm coming, Pete, just a little longer. Just hold on until I get there._

"Why did we have to take a car again?" MJ was a lot like Mr. Stark; her knee was bouncing, and she tugged at her hair. May, who was next to her, put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Ned sat in the back with Bucky, staring out of the window.

"It's quiet," Nat said patiently. "We only have one shot at this."

The teen nodded, but her dark brown eyes continued to dart around her.

The tense energy in the car was tangible; no one spoke again until they arrived.

xXx

"And why exactly are they coming?" Mark stomped to Sinoper, demanding an explanation. His normally gelled hair was now sticking to an angry red face. The boy didn't answer, but looked to be very tense. When he didn't get a response, Raylen grew impatient. Faster than lightning, his hand shot out and struck Sinoper. His head jerked to the side with the impact; he recovered quickly, spitting a glob of blood onto the pristine white floor. "_I asked you a question_!" Rage was clear on Mark's sticky face.

"Sir," he grunted. "It's… Parker."

Raylen flicked an annoyed hand up, a high-pitched beeping poured into the room at his command. Stooping over, Sinoper yelled in pain and clutched his head. When the sound cut short, he stood back up, brushing his soft hair away from his dull brown eyes.

"There's a doctor. She ratted you out... Sydnie Marckle," his tone had resumed cold compliance.

"_How?_" Mark growled.

Sinoper held up what was left of the bug and pointed a lithe finger at his back. The older man marched back into the observation room and leaned down, speaking to his head of security.

"Move everyone to Lab Zero. And _find me Sydnie Marckle_."

xXx

She made her way to the door, trying to look as casual as possible. Sydnie waved to the people she normally waved at and went through the exit protocol like she usually did. She figured she had bought about five more minutes of time. When she made it outside into the cool air, she started running, not allowing herself the luxury of enjoying the beautiful night. She took several random turns to try and escape from Raylen, sprinting down streets and cutting through yards.

She nearly ran into an expensive looking Audi that had parked right in front of her path. _They caught me. I just hope that Peter can escape… and that they don't hurt Jem._ Sydnie dropped to her knees; she didn't care that tears now trickled down her skin and splashed onto the cement below.

"Are you Sydnie Marckle?" A voice. A woman's voice. She looked up and met the eyes of a woman with bright red hair.

"You can kill me," Sydnie cried indignantly. "But at least I helped him! They'll find him now…"

"We're not going to kill you," the woman answered, crouching down in front of her. "My name is Natasha. We're here to help."

Sydnie's tears slowed to a stop. "Natasha? You're Peter's friend?" They rose from the ground together.

"Call me Nat," she said. Nat was surprised when the woman launched forward and gripped her in a sudden hug. She returned it reluctantly.

"Thank you," Sydnie whispered, relieved. "And please. Please, we have to get them. They're going to kill my brother…"

"We can help you," a male voice said from the car. She looked over to see Tony Stark sitting in the driver's seat, tapping his fingers. "But we have to hurry. Get in."

xXx

"FRI, analysis," Tony said, adjusting his glasses to scan the tall building.

"Large group of heat signatures detected in the lowest sublevel," she replied.

"How many?"

"I'd say around 75, boss. All armed."

He swore. "This is going to be a lot harder than we thought." Tony turned to the rest of the group. "They have 75 guards in there."

Nat glanced around. "Okay, Ned you go with Rhodey; May, you stick with me. MJ, you're with Bucky, and Sydnie's with Stark. You have to stay _behind_ us at all times. Here," she tossed Sydnie a sheathed knife. "For emergencies. We'll take out the main forces, and then get to Peter. Most likely, they'll try and take him out of there. We can't let that happen. Got it?"

"And please, try not to hurt any of the workers. Most of them are like me."

Everyone nodded grimly while Sydnie gripped the knife with newfound tenacity, a determined squint on her face. Tony tapped his watch. The Iron Man suit covered him, clicking and whirring into place.

"Let's get him back."

xXx

Silence. 74 armed soldiers stood stock-still, aiming weapons at the only entrance to the lab, their silver armor glinting in the low light. Mark and Angela stood in the very back, Sinoper in front of them, poised to leave through an emergency exit if the need arose. A couple of other doctors stood behind Sinoper with tech and sedatives in case he went haywire. There was a pounding from above, and the troops tensed their fingers over the trigger.

"Tony," Nat whispered from outside the thick steel door. "You go first; your suit can take their fire."

He nodded and raised his gauntlet. It hummed, charging for a split second before blasting the door off its hinges. Immediately, gunshots rang out, shooting past the group. Tony rushed forward so that the deflected bullets wouldn't hit any of his friends. They did hit a lot of soldiers, though, and many dropped before he had even started firing. Rhodey, suited up, came charging in after him, shooting missiles and bullets.

FRIDAY automatically targeted several guys, taking down 15 at once with one shot. Nat and Bucky started firing from behind the door. After a few minutes, Tony stood in the middle, looking around.

"Maybe this wasn't as hard as I thought it would be."

The rest of his team filed in, Sydnie, Ned, May, and MJ sticking behind their respective protectors. There was a small group of people near the back of the room, and with them stood Peter. He looked different, though. They had smeared black paint underneath his eyes, which looked duller than normal, and he wore a skin-tight obsidian suit with various weapons strapped to it. He also wore a dark bandana across his mouth and nose. Peter stood frozen in a fighting stance, daring them to come closer.

"Bring in the 10-Team!" Screamed a tall man next to Peter. FRI scanned his face and pulled up several records. That was Mark Raylen. The woman standing next to him, grasping two large knives in each had, he recognized. Tony's blood boiled at the sight of her. Angela.

A group filed in, dressed in white jumpsuits and white ski masks. They instantly started hand to hand combat with Nat and Bukcy, trying to draw the attention away from Mark. The tech company owner was being escorted to a tiny hatch in the back of the room, Peter trailing behind them.

Raylen hopped into what appeared to be an elevator, whispering something to Peter before he did. Then, leaving his bodyguards, he pressed a button and was launched into the air.

"Don't let him get away so easy, FRI," Tony yelled, punching an ivory-clad henchmen in the face.

"On it, boss." A small diamond shaped drone detached from his suit, flying up the empty elevator shaft. It was then that Peter joined the fight.

He leaped gracefully in front of Bucky, using the initial shock to kick his legs from underneath him and snatch his gun. Peter unloaded it and tossed it to the side, then shot a ball of webs at the Super-Soldiers feet to prevent him from getting back up. This all happened in a matter of seconds and MJ, who was with Bucky, stood paralyzed.

"Sinoper!" Angela yelled. _Who the heck was Sinoper?_ "Take them out, not down! And hurry!"

Peter acknowledged her with a nod. He flipped backwards, shooting webs in the eyes of Tony and Rhodey, and landed in front of Nat. She was not surprised, however, and began to engage with him.

"Guys!" Tony yelled, struggling to remove the sticky substance. "This is your cue!"

May, who stood behind Nat with her arms wrapped tightly around her, nodded in resoluteness.

"Peter!" She said to the boy, trying to earn his attention. "Peter, honey? It's me."

At this point, he had Natasha pinned to the ground and was staring at his neighbor intensely. At her words, he cocked his head.

"Don't you remember me? We used to have dinner all the time when your mom was away…"

_When the apartment door finally cracked open, all May could see was half of Peter's face. Upon realizing it was her, he swung it open and beamed. _

"_Mrs. Miriam? What are you doing here?"_

"_Call me May, please," she begged. "And I told you we'd have dinner together." Smiling, she held up a bag of Chinese takeout. "I'm a really good cook."_

_Peter invited her inside, and they took a seat in the living room. _

"_You're lucky my mom isn't home," he said. "She hates fast food."_

"_I'm pretty sure Chinese doesn't count as fast food," May said pointedly._

_They launched into a mini-discussion about the subject, laughing and eating Ham Fried Rice during the process. May found that she was growing quite fond of this young boy… he had a bright smile and a contagious laugh. She remembered feeling anger at how tense he got when she hugged him goodbye. Despite his best efforts, she had still noticed the bruise._

"Please, Peter, I know you're still in there. If you'll just-"

He shot a glob of web onto her mouth, effectively quieting her desperate pleas. "Be quiet. We wouldn't want him to hear you." He tapped his head. "And it's Sinoper."

As Sinoper hopped away, he didn't see her drop to her knees, a steady stream of tears leaking from her eyes.

He landed right in front of Rhodey and Ned, once again locking combat. Rhodey was too afraid of hurting him to win. The boy began to turn away, but Ned stopped him.

"Wait, Peter please. It's me, Ned. Your best friend… remember? We hung out like every day when Angela wasn't home…"

"_Dude, I'm telling you, it's like, 600 pieces!"_

_Peter gaped. "There's no way. How long is this gonna take us?"_

_The pair skipped up the front steps of Ned's house. When they walked in, Mrs. Leeds herded them to the kitchen for a snack. She always had some sort of after-school food prepared, cookies, chocolate pretzels, muffins, you name it._

"_I don't know man, but it's going to be. Awesome!" Ned pumped his fist._

_They each grabbed a blueberry muffin and headed upstairs, Peter shooting Ned's mom finger guns. "Thanks, Mrs. Leeds!"_

_She laughed and shooed them away._

_They sat on the floor all afternoon, talking and fiddling with legos, a John Denver record spinning in the corner of the room, playing Ned's favorite: _Leaving On a Jet Plane. _Occasionally, they went back downstairs for another muffin._

"We're almost finished with the Death Star, man. Please-"

He was cut off by Sinoper's cold glare. "I don't know you."

Ned was unable to hide the hurt, and shook his head in disbelief. _How could he say that to me?_

"Yes, you do," MJ said, stepping forward. "You know all of us. We're your friends, Peter. We love you. Come back to us… come back to _me_."

"Stop it," Sinoper growled. "I locked him up before, and I'll do it again. You're too late; he's never coming back."

Memories floated past Peter like pictures, making him turn his head and reach out to them. They appeared to be tangible. In fact, when his finger touched moments frozen in time, they started to glow and spread warmth through his shivering body.

The first one his hand grazed was a memory of him and May eating Chinese food in his apartment, laughing and telling stories. Another flew forward, this time depicting the day that him and Ned first started building that silly Lego Death Star. The music that they played that afternoon filled the small space around him. John Denver.

Finally, a voice broke through the soupy blackness. It was distant and muffled, but he could still hear it. Peter knew who it was by the way his heart rate quickened and his palms began to sweat. MJ. It was MJ.

The last of her words became clear. "We love you. Come back to us… come back to _me_."

_Come back? Back from where? Where did I go? _His mind was foggy and disoriented; it felt like a straightjacket, tightening around him.

"MJ," he called, trying desperately to swim to the surface of this soup. "Help me!"

"Aurgh," Sinoper growled in pain, clutching his head. Angela looked panicked, and ran to the elevator shaft, willing it to return faster.

"Oh no you don't," Nat said, pinning her to the wall and taking her weapons. "Leaving so soon?"

She pressed a few fingers right below the other woman's chin, at her Vagus Nerve, and Angela dropped like a sack of potatoes, unconscious.

"MJ… Help… me…" Peter groaned, gasping in and out very fast. "Can't… take him." He ripped off the bandana to breathe the air better, still keeping a hand pressed to his temple. She ran over to him and put a hand on his back.

"Peter? Come on, Peter, you can do this. Fight it. Fight him!"

Tony, who had previously been finishing off the last of the cronies, came scrambling over to Peter's other side. He lifted his face plate.

"Kid? Can you hear me?"

"Mr…. Stark," he panted. "I… c-can't…" Peter squeezed his eyes shut and crouched into a ball, remaining upright. Then, he screamed. It was guttural and blood-curdling, sending a chill down the spines of everyone in the room. Rhodey had helped May get the webs off, and she was crawling over to them, horror painted clearly on her pretty face. Peter just kept on screaming, shaking his head back and forth and shuddering violently. Sweat poured down his face and stained the front of his shirt. Tony and MJ looked at one another, helpless. What were they supposed to do?

"Here," Sydnie said, bending over one of the bodies and dashing to them. She gripped a small syringe, holding clear liquid, in one hand and a small cotton ball in the other. "This will sedate him for a while… calm his mind," she said over his agonized screeches.

Tony forced Peter's hand away from his face, holding it still for Sydnie. She quickly cleaned his skin with the cotton, and injected the liquid into his arm.

His cries became hoarse and finally tapered off. His eyes rolled back and he collapsed into Tony's arms, limbs dangling weakly to the side. The echoes of his screams filled the silence. This should never have even happened.

**A/N: I hope you like it, and please leave a review! Good or bad, they make my day. :D**

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**-katilange**


	13. Chapter 13: Ms Magran

**A/N: AH! I'M SORRY! I was on vacation and didn't write at all! Also, I had a surgery done this week, so I've been recovering, sleeping, or woozy on pain meds. That's also why this chapter is short. Sorry! **

**Anyways a few things for you all to know: First off, thanks so much for 150 followers and 10k+ views! I love you guys! Second, there is a brief explanation of the whole Peter/Sinoper thing at the end if you are confused. If you aren't, feel free to skip that. :D**

**Sorry that was a lot of talking. I'll let you get to it. ;)**

_Tuesday, October 15_

_6:00am_

"What's wrong with him?" Tony demanded, slamming his fist down on the metal table. It clanged in protest. "What did you do?"

The woman brushed her shiny black hair behind her back and crossed her legs. She would have crossed her arms, but they were handcuffed to the surface.

"I want to see my son," she said coolly, making his blood boil. As if she could just _say_ that. After the past couple of days… after the past couple of _years_ she spent hurting him. No. She wasn't allowed to do that.

"He's not your son," Tony growled. "He never has been, and he never will be."

Angela smirked. "Tell that to my marriage certificate. Sorry, _Mr. Stark_." Her tone was mocking and snide. "But I have rights."

Nat, previously silent, lurched forward, now inches away from the other woman's nose. "_Not here you don't_." She was not a fan of people like Angela. People who hurt their kids for no reason. People who used an innocent child for science experiments. It made her sick.

Tony was satisfied to see Angela blink in surprise at Natasha. It wasn't much, but it was something. Other than that, her face hadn't twitched, flinched, or even moved for an hour, and it was beginning to drive him crazy.

"Listen, you slimy psychotic-" Nat shot him a look. Calling her names would not help with the legal issues of this situation. Tony took a deep breath and clenched his teeth. "We have several witnesses proving that you, _Angela Magran_, were using illegal HYDRA practices, along with Mark Raylen. I'll give you two options: you can either tell us what's wrong with _my kid_, or you can sit here, in that chair, and _rot_. _So_," his voice dripped with venom. "What'll it be?"

She didn't say anything and her face remained still, except for a small smile.

Tony stormed out of the room, leaving Natasha behind to ask more questions.

xXx

Peter's soft brown hair rose and fell with the steady breathing of his chest. A few floppy curls almost reached past his eyes, resting just under his brow. His fingers twitched from where they rested in MJ's hand, but she didn't wake. Her head rested next to his chest. May watched them from the corner, foot tapping, unable to sit still.

"When is he going to wake up?" She whispered to Tony, who had quietly entered from behind her. May observed his sigh, haggard and full of concern and sadness.

"I… I don't know." It almost broke him to say that. "She hasn't given us anything." Fury was laced between the syllables, highlighting his deep loathe for Angela.

They were quiet, listening to the monotonous noise of the heart monitor. After a while, Tony cleared his throat and indicated MJ and Ned, both asleep in uncomfortable chairs.

"You all should get some rest. More than an hour, I mean."

May looked like she was about to resist, but she stopped herself and slumped her shoulders. "Now that you mention it, I do feel like crap," she said, chuckling softly. "I'll help them to bed."

"There's a couple spare rooms down the hall," he agreed. She gently woke Peter's friends. They were too tired to resist and let her guide them out of the room. May gave Tony an empathetic smile, then shut the door.

The man sighed, and with it, he seemed to age a few more years. When he sat next to the bed, Tony couldn't bring himself to look at the kid. His kid. He could only stare at his hands and regret.

"Peter… I'm sorry I failed you, bud. The one time you needed me… and I wasn't there. I hope you can forgive me." He shook his head sadly. "FRI? Play _You're the Inspiration_ by Chicago…"

She obliged, piano chords filling the stale air. "Come on, kid… wake up."

Tony finally allowed himself to glance at Peter, and his eyes instantly filled with tears. Someone had cleaned the paint and blood off of his face, and he was at least wearing something other than the all-black suit. Tony hated that suit… It wasn't like Peter at all. None of this was like him.

There were wires stuck to the side of his head, monitoring his brain activity, and an IV in his right arm. It all looked so… wrong. Peter was never sitting still; he ran around with a literally inhuman amount of energy, always awake no matter what time it was. Days were rare when he didn't have a smile on his face, and to see him so motionless broke Tony's heart. He grabbed Peter's hand just as the song hit it's climax.

_It's not supposed to be like this_.

xXx

A tingle in his fingers brought him out of his subconscious. He was humming along to his favorite song and bouncing his leg, still laying down. _Wait, this is my favorite song? Oh yeah… my mom used to sing me that… wait… my mom?_

Peter sat straight up and looked around. "Where am I?"

Across from him sat… well, him. But dressed in all black. _This is who they called Sinoper_. They were both cross legged, and neither of them said anything for a moment. The two remained locked in an intense stare.

"Your mind," Sinoper answered simply. Strangely, Peter wasn't scared of him… he seemed harmless sitting down, and it didn't seem like he was going to hurt him. _Yet._

"Why is it so dark?" He wondered, taking in the surroundings. They seemed to be sitting on a gray shag carpet that stretched for miles into the ink-like darkness.

The reflection stood, looking down at him. "You're asleep." _Ok, now I'm a little scared. _The way that Sinoper peered from behind flashing eyes set his teeth on edge. Of course, it could have just been his Spidey Sense warning him… it was hard to tell in this place. His mind…

"What does that mean?" Peter also stood, but with his right hand in front of him. His left was still tingling, like a ghost was trying to hold it or something.

"It means you aren't awake."

His sarcasm reminded Peter of Mr. Stark. _Mr. Stark…_ Suddenly, the ghost grip on his hand became solid, and he returned the squeeze. Something told him that whoever was holding his hand was important… and the simple familiar act of it all sparked motivation inside of him. From far away, he heard the song: '_No one needs you more than I need you_.' He had to wake up.

Sinoper smirked at him, expression darkening. "It's not going to be that easy."

xXx

"Tones." Rhodey stood at the door, observing the scene like he had been for the past couple of minutes. He didn't want to break the silence, but he finally couldn't stay quiet any longer. "Has FRI mentioned anything else about Raylen?" The most she had said was that the drone was successfully locked on target, but it was too risky to make a move. Rhodey had no idea what that meant, which is why he came here.

Tony was leaning forward with an expression of painful hope, and completely ignored the question. "He squeezed my hand, Rhodey. I swear he did…"

His friend sighed. "Listen…"

"No," Tony interrupted. "He did. I know it."

Letting out another sigh, Rhodey moved behind him and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Alright man, but seriously. Has FRI said anything else?"

Distractedly, Tony said, "Ask her yourself."

"Hey, you know what's up, AI Lady?" He said to the ceiling, fighting an eye roll.

"I do; no further developments, Colonel Rhodes."

Three sighs in less than a minute had to be some kind of record, but Tony didn't express this thought out loud. His dark eyes were trained on Peter, willing him to move again. Willing him to _please just wake up_. _I promise I'll do better next time…_

Rhodey's silent presence offered some semblance of comfort to Tony, it always had, but he would never say that out loud. If he did, he wouldn't hear the end of it.

"What am I going to do?"

The words were so quiet that Rhodey almost didn't catch them, and when he did, he was confused. He'd never heard his best friend ask that before. Tony was usually one to push everyone out… he just… _didn't_ ask for help.

Rhodey could only sigh again. "I don't know, man. But whatever happens, we'll figure it out. Together."

Tony nodded, face sagging a little with the weight of their unknown future. "Yeah," he said half-heartedly. "Together."

xXx

Angela's face was beginning to infuriate Natasha. Fighting to keep her cool, like she always did, she put a hand behind her back and clenched to release some tension. It helped, a little, and she tried a new tactic.

"Were you and Mary Parker best friends?"

"You could say that." Angela's mouth was tight now; Nat was finally getting to her.

"What happened to her, _Ms. Magran_?"

The women locked eyes for a solid three seconds, each calculating their next move.

"It's Parker, actually," she smirked. "Despite what you buffoons may believe, I married Richard, which makes him my son."

Natasha decided to switch her method again, opting for the same one she used with Loki a few years ago. Channeling more emotion into her expression, she mumbled, "No."

Angela looked delighted, thinking she had the advantage now. "Yes. I can do virtually anything as long as I have those legal documents. I have been for years." She lifted her chin as if being a controlling sociopath was a good thing.

"You're… horrible," Nat whispered, forcing her voice to shake slightly with faux horror.

"You think that's bad? You should've seen what I- what he…" her voice tapered off. _Maybe this awful woman _does _regret something._

"What happened to Mary Parker?" Nat asked again, softly and directly.

Angela's lips tightened even more, becoming a thin white line on her face.

"I did it."

_Tuesday, October 15_

_9:00am_

_Remote Location_

"You're telling me we lost three squadrons, our top scientist, _and_ the asset?"

Mark's voice roared like an angry wave, and it crashed down on the men and women surrounding him. They all shrunk back, too afraid to confirm.

"_IDIOTS!_" He picked up what was closest to him, which happened to be half of a brick, and threw it at the window. The glass shattered and flew around them in jagged shards, making his companions jump away.

"Park!"

The tallest man in the room responded to his last name, stepping forward; he was also the only one not cowering in fear. His dark eyebrows remained firmly set against a broad forehead, and his Korean descent caused his olive skin to almost glow in the low light. The small sea of people parted as he passed, intimidated by his height and scowl.

"Sir." Park's voice was smooth and low, rumbling out of him like stones.

"Infiltration report."

"Application pending, sir."

"Good. At least one of my fingers is still in the pie. How long will this take? We can't let them have Sinoper for long…"

"No more than 5 and a half hours, sir."

"Finally someone in this forsaken company that hasn't let me down. The minute you hear something, come to me. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." The man saluted and back off into the crowd.

"Now all of you, back to work! We have to mop up this mess you've made."

**A/N: Again I'm sorry that was so short! I just wanted to get what I had out to you guys!**

**An explanation: Sinoper is not a multiple personality of Peter. He is just meant to represent (or like, embody) Peter's mind control. So, whenever you see Peter "fighting with him" it's him fighting against the mind control. As for the name "Sinoper", that's just what Mark named the mind-controlled version of Peter. Hope that clears up any confusion!**

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**See you next time!**

**-katilange**


	14. Chapter 14: Doctor Park

**A/N: OK before you say anything, I know that it's been a while… *cough* two months *cough* I hope you know I am sincerely sorry for the wait! I'm sure I don't have to tell you guys how crazy it is. Anyways, hopefully this won't happen again. Also, the chapter is a bit shorter, cause the next one will be beefy.**

**Stay safe and enjoy the chapter!**

**Warnings: Mentions of medical equipment, blood, and mild violence.**

_Wednesday, October 16_

_6:00am_

"No, he hasn't woken up yet. I know!" Tony adjusted his phone to the other ear. "I get it, okay? Just, double everything." A pause. "Yes, everything! I want twice the number of guards inside and out, and three times in front of his room. I don't want anybody in or out of this place unless I know them personally. Bye." He hung up and tucked the device back into his pocket.

Collapsing back into his chair, Tony continued what he had been doing for the past 24 hours: listening to Peter's steady breathing harmonize with the monotonous beeps of the heart monitor. His own heart hadn't seemed to be beating correctly, and the machine helped him breathe a little bit. This is exactly why he didn't notice anything until it sped up.

The high-pitched beeps became faster and began to sound like they were tripping over each other. The doctors and nurses rushed into the room in a flurry of white, surprising Tony as they shouted a few sentences that were incomprehensible to him.

Recovering from his shock, he stood and tried to see past them, tried to see Peter. "What's going on?" The nerves in his stomach went haywire, pushing bile up into the back of his throat. "What's wrong?" Tony pulled at their coats, trying to get an explanation.

"Mr. Stark!" A woman said, turning around. "Stand back, or leave." Her tone was stern, but not mean. She was trying to help Peter. He stepped back.

Then, the screams started.

They were guttural and heart-wrenching, filling the room and bouncing off of the walls. Tony flinched and covered his ears, realizing with a start that they were coming from Peter. His mind flashed back to the laboratory.

"_Get out!_" The boy was crying, eyes still clamped shut and sweat pouring down his pale face. He repeated it over and over, writhing around and fighting with the doctors.

One of them was bent down close to his ear, whispering, "Peter? Calm down. You're safe. You're safe" as he tried to gently push Peter's flailing arms against the bed.

"_Shut up!_" He yelled, then fell still.

"You're making quite the ruckus," Sinoper grunted as his counterpart sputtered and clutched his stomach on the black floor. "This could go a lot better for you if you just-"

"Just what?" Peter coughed. "Just let you take over my life? My body? I'm not going to let you use my face for… for wrong!"

The other boy walked slowly closer and bent over him. He placed a military-style black boot on Peter's chest and brought him hard onto the dark, glass-like surface. "How noble of you. Stupid, too."

Surprising Sinoper, he clamped his hands onto the shoe and shoved, springing up as his counterpart fell backwards. "How is it stupid to do what's right?"

A small trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, but he didn't bother wiping it off.

They locked into a wrestle, and Peter was discovering how weird it was to fight someone that looked just like him. The only real difference between them was Sinoper's stormy gray eyes (which were still rimmed with a little black paint), but it was still strange to be basically facing his evil twin.

"It's Naive!" He growled, spittle flying onto Peter's nose. "Always expecting the best from people is a sure-fire way to get hurt! Human nature is evil." Sinoper pushed away, painting heavily. "Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool."

"That's not true. You're the naive one! You completely ignore exactly what makes mankind good: the people. The single mom who works two jobs for her kids. The best friend that comforts without being asked. The boy who helps an old lady with her groceries. The neighbor that cares silently. The mentor that is there when no one else is!" His deep brown eyes met with cool gray ones. "These are the people that make me want to be a better person, to give someone the benefit of the doubt. These are the people that make me want to stay. _I want to stay!_"

The statement rang in Tony's ears and silenced everyone in the room for half of a second. _I want to stay_. His heart throbbed.

"Stay?" He whispered to himself. Since the doctors stood in shock, Tony took advantage of the moment and rushed forward. "I want you to stay, too, bud! Come on back. You can do it…"

A tall man pulled him away. Tony recognized this as the new specialist Cho had brought in, Dr. Park. Apparently he was an expert on cognition or something like that. _Whatever, Cho knows what she's doing. _

_Wednesday, October 16_

_5:00am_

_1 hour earlier_

"You know, Dr. Cho, I had hoped to get in the conventional way, but my boss is a very impatient person." The man, Dr. Park spoke in Korean, but that was one of the languages Helen was fluent in. She stood pin straight, staring at the screen blinking in front of her. An image of her niece, sleeping in her favorite Cinderella pajamas, filled the screen.

"We need to move the operation along. So what do you say, _Cho-sunbaenim_?"

She flinched, delicate features marred by disgust. "You're asking me to choose between my niece and a patient, both _innocent children_?"

Dr. Park's clouded face was unwavering. "Yes."

"It won't work."

He shut the screen off and headed to the open doorway, pausing before exiting. "It already has," he said matter-of-factly, then slammed the door closed.

She sprang into action, grabbing her phone and sending a fumbled message to the last resort.

HCHO (5:08am): charged iphone. giant peach falling. fire dim, feed fire with this. hammer broken.

Helen trew her phone hard into the tile, watching the glass crack and the screen fade. "You're buying me a new one later, Stark."

_Wednesday, October 16_

_6:59am_

Steve sat in the shadows of the tower, waiting for Natasha to come and talk to him. He didn't want to go in and face… everything. Deep down, there was a little shame at his choice; it felt like the easy way out somehow.

His emergency flip phone fell from his pocket, bringing him out of his thoughts. He grabbed it and powered on, a few notifications from that morning popping up. As soon as Steve read the message, he knew something was wrong. He sprung up just as Nat walked tiredly from the building. Their eyes met and she smiled slightly.

"This is a mess, Steve, I-"

"Nat." His sincere blue eyes conveyed urgency.

She perked up at his serious tone. "What? What's wrong?"

As soon as Nat read the text, she cursed, jerking her head back to the entrance. "Those rats. I have to get back there."

"Wait, Natasha," Steve said, grabbing her arm.

She yanked it back, fire radiating from her eyes. "There's no time! Just shut up and follow me."

They hadn't taken a step when loud alarms sounded, along with the crash of shattering glass. The pair looked up to see black smoke suddenly pouring from a now-broken window near the penthouse of the Tower. From their spot on the ground, they could make out a small helicopter starting from the roof of the building.

Nat cursed again. "Peter."

xXx

Sweat soaked through the neckline of Peter's light gray shirt, shining on his face and arms as well. He was curled in a ball, breaths coming in short, ragged gasps, and his eyes remained stubbornly shut.

Tony sat in front of him, his right arm covering Peter's shaking form. His left arm hung limply at his side, blood dripping onto the cool metal surface beneath them.

"Touch him again," he panted. "And I'll rip you to shreds."

The room was in disarray, couches and chairs scattered in different corners. The doctor stood straight and tall as he stared them down, the small handgun glinting in the sunlight. He raised it at the pair.

His accent permeated the air as he spoke. "I shot you once, Stark, I'll do it again. I have my orders."

Deciding instead to try the cleaner method, Park strutted over and kicked Tony in the stomach. The man slid back onto his head and farther away from Peter, all the while coughing and sputtering blood.

The fake doctor grabbed Peter by the collar and dragged him toward the balcony, on which a helicopter was starting. The blades chopped the air and sent a blast of wind around them. Tony staggered to his feet, stumbling after them as fast as he could.

He caught the kid's limp hand just as the machine began to lift from the ground. Park, who had adjusted his large arm to wrap securely around Peter's waist, turned back and furrowed his brows in annoyance. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a shout from behind them.

Angela ran into the room, black hair tangled and wild, screaming. "They're right behind us!"

She dashed forward and nimbly jumped past the group into the helicopter, sliding into a seat in the front. If the circumstances were different, Tony would've been impressed.

Park swore, noting the yells from the hallway, and making another quick and calculated decision.

Nat burst into the penthouse, followed closely by Steve, Bucky, Rhodey, and Sydnie. They arrived just in time to see the large Asian doctor yank both an unconscious Peter and a startled Tony into the helicopter.

It rose into the clouds, soon disappearing from view.

**A/N: We're approaching some well-deserved butt-kicking, don't worry. Thanks for reading! Love you all!**

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**See you guys next time!**

**-katilagne**


	15. Chapter 15: Awake

**A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you guys so much for being patient with me! I recently got back into a groove of writing and out of my slump. Hopefully this means updates way more often. Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you like it!**

**Make sure to leave any comments/suggestions in the reviews below! Enjoy!**

_Wednesday, October 16_

_8:15am_

Peter was buzzing. His head was buzzing. There were noises that broke through, but they sounded slow and… _wrong._ Sinoper was gone, or at least out of sight... so why couldn't he open his eyes?

He was gone from the blackness. Peter's heart leaped at the realization. _I finally have my body back. _The relief and adrenaline rushed through his veins, making his senses sharper. The buzzing all around him became clear in an instant, and it was all too loud.

He groaned and grabbed his ears, all desire to open his eyes gone. If the sound was like this, how bad would vision be?

A soft familiar voice whispered close to his head. "Pete? Kid? Can you hear me?"

Mr. Stark.

Still afraid to open his eyes, he blindly felt around. Peter's hand caught a fold of fabric, and he squeezed it tight, nodding. There was an audible sigh from Tony.

"Can you talk? Or open your eyes?"

"Mr… Stark…" he rasped. His throat was dry and uncooperative. "It's t-too… loud…" Even as he said this, though, the pain in his eardrums was lessening. His body was adjusting to the new atmosphere, wherever it was.

"Just give it a minute, bud. It'll get better." Peter felt Tony's legs shift from beneath his head. "Can you sit up?"

He nodded, letting the older man gently lift his back up and against a wall. Clenching his fist, Peter cracked an eye open slowly.

As expected, the light hurt, but it was dim. It didn't take long for them to adjust, although most of what he saw was blurred. From what he _could_ see, they were in a tiny cement room with two windows on the opposite walls. After scanning the surroundings, Peter's eyes finally landed on Tony, who was right next to him.

He squinted to make Mr. Stark's face come into focus. His mentor was smiling... a genuine, relieved smile. Peter let out a breath, so grateful to see his face.

"Mr. Stark," he said, cracked lips splitting into a grin.

Tony just looked at him, trying to hold back his emotions. "Your eyes," he replied. "They're brown again." He pulled Peter close suddenly, holding the kid's head close to his chest. "You're finally back."

Every memory from the past few days flooded back to him. "I'm so sorry," he whispered into the man's jacket, unable to hold back tears of exhaustion. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me…"

"Pete, it wasn't your fault. There's nothing to be sorry for. It's ok. You're safe now, buddy… it's ok."

"I said a-awful things to them," he continued, voice breaking. "Horrible things…"

Tony patted his messy brown hair. "Awful things were done to you, Peter. They understand that. They forgive you, trust me."

They remained in that position for a few minutes, until Peter's breath had slowed again. He sat back against the wall and closed his eyes.

"Where are we?"

Mr. Stark looked around. "Honestly, I don't even know, kid. But we'll figure it out, ok? I won't let anything else happen. I promise."

Peter's turned his head and his gaze landed on Tony, just then noticing. The boy jumped into a crouch, startled. "Mr. Stark! Your arm!"

Dried blood darkened the light gray fabric of his jacket, which was torn as well. He took his other hand and covered the wound.

"Don't worry. It's nothing."

"It d-doesn't look like nothing," Peter stuttered, breaths quickening and panic rising behind his eyes. "Did they do that? Oh no…" He ran a shaking hand through his curls.

"Hey, hey. Peter. Look at me." They locked eyes. "It's ok, I swear. I've survived much worse with much less. It isn't deep, and I haven't lost a lot of blood. It's ok."

Reluctantly, the kid nodded and sat back down. He forced his breaths to slow and tried to calm the pounding in his throat. "Ok… ok…"

There was silence again.

Peter straightened. "The windows." He stood quickly, but only made it one step before falling back to his knees with a grunt. The world began to spin and he all of a sudden felt like throwing up.

"Peter!" Tony realized he didn't really have the strength to move either; his whole body ached.

"I'm… fine," he panted, moving to one knee and holding up a hand. After catching his breath, Peter got up and staggered to the window. Leaning against the wall for support, he looked out, only seeing small fields of weeds and dirt, with a group of trees to the left. They were on the third floor of the building, making any sort of escape difficult, especially with Mr. Stark's arm. Normally the height wouldn't be a problem, but he couldn't even stand, much less climb.

Peter stumbled back to Tony and collapsed on the floor, panting. His head throbbed in time with his heart, making it hard to focus.

"Take it easy kid, you've been through a lot."

"What happened? How did we get here?"

Another sigh. "That douchebag doctor threw us in a helicopter and took us to this dump, I assume on the orders of Raylen." At Peter's worried fiddling, he continued, "But don't worry, bud, there's a team back at the tower that'll help us out."

"Who?"

_Wednesday, October 16_

_8:30am_

From behind him, Steve heard Natasha addressing the others. "You don't have to worry; Stark is with him. And we'll get to them before long."

He turned to face them. Buckey, Rhodey, Nat, and Sydnie stood in a circle, facing three others Steve hadn't met. There was a small, pretty woman with long black hair and kind eyes, and two kids who looked to be Peter's age.

Sydnie was next to the small woman, an arm around her shoulder. "It's going to be fine, May."

May smiled gratefully in return, but didn't say anything.

The curly-haired girl folded her arms, scanning everyone carefully. Her dark eyes locked with Steve's for a moment. Finally she broke eye contact and said, "What leads do we have?"

FRIDAY's voice cut into the room. "A few days ago, Boss sent a drone to tail Raylen. A current location is available. I suggest sending a small team with backup from Marks 13-17. On the table beside the couch, a portable version of the Iron Suit is recommended to bring to the Boss."

Steve couldn't help the tiny smirk of relief. _Of course. _

"Thanks FRIDAY," Nat said. "Steve and Rhodey will come with me. Bucky, can you stay here with them until we get back? We don't know how many cards Raylen has up his sleeves."

The man nodded silently, offering a small smile.

"What about us?" The curly haired girl asked, arms still crossed. "Do we just sit here?"

Natasha ran a hand through her red hair. "MJ. I know you want to help, but it'll be better for you to stay here. Besides, we need someone here when we bring Peter back."

MJ sighed. "Fine. But you better. Bring him back, I mean."

"Don't worry." At Steve's words, she turned and landed her piercing gaze on him again. He fought the urge to look away and tried to convey sincerity. "We'll save him."

She narrowed her eyes. "Right."

"But we can help from here, too," the boy next to MJ said.

May looked kindly at him. "What do you mean, Ned?"

Ned pointed to his head. "I mean generally speaking, MJ and I are smart; we're good with technology. At least, better than you guys. We can be like your home base."

"Alright," Nat agreed. "But we have to hurry, they won't stay in the same place for long."

_Wednesday, October 16_

_8:45am_

"How much did you tell them?"

Angela lowered her eyes as far as they could go, focusing on the cracks in the cement floor. Mark's footsteps pounded forward and closer to her. Grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at him, he asked again, "_How much did you tell them_?"

She clenched her fist. "Nothing about this place. Nothing about you. Nothing about him."

He shoved her head away. "Good. You better not be lying to me." Raylen nodded to Dr. Park in the corner of the room. "Bring them to me. And use these for the asset."

xXx

"Put these on." The Doctor that had taken them tossed metal hand restraints on the floor in front of Peter. They were dull gray and looked like thick wires.

"Why?" The teen looked up at him. "Why should I?"

Dr. Park remained solemn. "Either you put them on," he took a gun out from his belt and clicked the safety off. "Or I put them on for you."

Reluctantly, Peter slipped them on. The effect was instantaneous; his arms felt weaker and his eyesight duller. Tony noticed and reached out.

"Don't touch him."

Mr. Stark glared at the other man. "What about me?"

"You won't need them. Now get up."

Once he noticed Peter struggling, the Doctor grabbed his arm and yanked him up, placing the silver barrel of the gun against the boy's curls. Tony stood as well, still clutching his wound tight and glancing warily at the situation.

"Follow me."

They exited the room into a long hallway with no windows. It was cement too, with graffiti and random stains dirtying the surface. There were even puddles of brown water in some places.

Realizing he couldn't see Peter's face anymore, Tony said, "It's ok, kid, I'll-"

"Be quiet."

It took everything he had to not bite back; no one ever told him to be quiet. If it weren't for the kid, he would've made his Italian ancestors proud with a long string of cuss words.

They finally reached the end of the hall and entered a larger room, which was shockingly different from the previous places they had been. There was new lab equipment lining the walls and busy people rushing around.

Dr. Park forced Peter to the center of the room and pushed him to his knees. The teen grunted, but was otherwise silent. Keeping the gun in place, the large man gestured to some guards dressed in black. They ran over and grabbed Tony from each side. His arm ached, but he also remained silent.

A door opened and Raylen stepped out, followed by Angela and several more armed guards. Just the sight of them made Tony's blood boil. Noticing that they were walking towards Peter, he struggled against his captors.

"Stop!" The squeezed tighter, shooting pain through his whole body.

However weak Peter felt before, it was nothing compared to looking at them. It seemed like his very cells were frozen with fear. He couldn't even shake. Their faces made his Spidey sense go haywire, and his fingers twitched in response. Every breath he took caught in his throat.

"Well, well. You're finally back to us." Mark looked at Tony and made a humming noise. "And with an unfortunate guest…"

Mr. Stark spit at the floor. "Don't touch him again," he growled.

Raylen smirked. "And I suppose you'll stop me?"

Just then, a loud crash came from outside, taking them all by surprise. Angry now, Mark swore and pulled out his own gun. He yelled in frustration.

There was a loud gunshot and the solid thud of a body hitting the floor. Already the blood was filling the cracks in the cement and the scent was drifting into Raylen's nose.

He swore once again. "It didn't have to be like this."

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I think either the next chapter or the one after that will be the last. I'll hopefully be back soon! Stay safe and healthy. :)**

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